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Book . P.kaAa 



PRESENTED BY 



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MEMOIRS 

OF THE LATE 

MRS. MARY COOPER, 

OF 

LOJVDO.V; 

WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE 

JUNE 22, 1812, 

IN 

THE TWENTY-SIXTH YEAR OF HER \GE. 

EXTRACTED FROM HER 

DIARY 

AND 

EPISTOLARY CORRESPONDENCE. 
BY ADAM CLARKE, LL. D, 

SECOND AMERICAN EDITION. 



NEW-YORK : 

^BUSHED BY J. SOULE AND T. MASON, FOR THE 

3IETHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN 1T\Y 

UNITED STATES. 

J. hJ. Harper, Printep 









mm 



Gift 
Judge and Mrs. Isaac P.. Httt 1 
Ju'y 3, 1933 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



_L HE Editor of these Papers had the 
pleasure of a short acquaintance with the 
late Mrs. Cooper, eldest daughter of John 
Hanson, Esq. — a worthy and respectable 
magistrate of the County of Middlesex ; 
and, in conjunction with her friends, he 
deplores the premature death of a woman, 
of whom, he feels no hesitation to say, that 
her understanding was sound, her mind 
carefully cultivated, her charity unbounded, 
her faith unfeigned, her piety deep and ra- 
tional ; and her religious life without blem- 
ish. This is certainly saying a great deal ; 
but not more than the subject most com- 
pletely warrants. 

The mind of Mrs. Cooper was of no 
common mould ; and this, her Diary, and 
Letters, from which the following Extracts 
are made, sufficiently prove. The Diary 



4 ADVERTISEMENT. 

she bad kept carefully concealed, even from 
her most intimate friends ; and certainly 
never wrote it to meet the eye of man. As 
her heart dictated, and as occurrences pre- 
sented themselves, so she wrote. To speak 
incorrectly sue could not : to wait to revise 
and polish, she had neither time nor inclina- 
tion, as she wrote exclusively for her own 
instruction ; and the improvement of her 
heart was the grand object at which she 
aimed. When this was attained, the man- 
ner in which it was accomplished was of no 
importance ; as the whole, from beginning 
to end, was designed to be a secret corres- 
pondence with herself. Let this be the apol- 
ogy of the work, where the matter may 
appear diffuse and inartificial ; an-d the lan- 
guage negligent. To have suppressed the 
following extracts on such accounts, would 
have been a real injury to all who shall have 
the opportunity of reading them ; as it may 
be safely presumed, that no unprejudiced 
person can peruse this little volume, without 
having his heart religiously affected, and his 
mind considerably improved. 

The advantages which this excellent 
young woman derived from a religious edu- 
cation, were many and important. Her 
pious parents taught her to fear God from 
her youth. The great and momentous 
truths of the religion of Christ, they care- 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



fully inculcated on her mind and heart, 
from her earliest years — they showed her, 
not only in their precepts, but also in their 
life and conversation, how she should walk 
and please God. They were workers to- 
gether with Him, and He blessed the work 
of their hands. In all the branches of their 
very respectable and orderly family, they 
have proved the unfailing truth of that di- 
vine saying, Train up a child in the ivay he 
should go, and when he is old, he will not de- 
part from it. They have dedicated their 
. children to their Maker, and God has most 
graciously accepted the offering. 

Were a proper line of conduct pursued 
m the education of children, how few profli- 
gate sons and daughters, and how few broken- 
hearted parents should we find. The neg- 
lect of early religious education, connected 
with a wholesome and affectionate restraint, is 
the rum of millions. Many parents, to ex- 
cuse their indolence, and most criminal 
neglect, say, " We cannot give our children 
grace." — What do they mean by this? — 
That God, not themselves, is the Author of 
the irregularities and viciousness of their 
children. They may shudder at this impu- 
tation — but, when they reflect that they have 
not given them right precepts ;■' have not 
brought them under firm and affectionate 
restraint; have not showed, them, by their 
a 2 



$ ADVERTISEMENT. 

own spirit, temper, and conduct, how they 
should be regulated in theirs — when either 
the worship of God has not been established 
in their houses, or they have permitted their 
children, 011 the most trifling pretences, to 
absent themselves from it — when all these 
things are considered, they will find, that, 
speaking after the manner of men, it would 
have been a very extraordinary miracle in- 
deed, if the children had been found prefer- 
ring a path, in which they did not see their 
parents conscientiously tread. 

Let those parents who continue to excuse 
themselves by saying, We cannot give grace 
to our children, lay their hand on their con- 
science, and say, whether they ever knew 
an instance where God withheld His grace, 
while they were in humble subserviency to 
Him, performing their duty ? The real state 
of the case is this : parents cannot do God's 
work ; and God will not do theirs ; but if 
they use the means, and train up the child in 
the ivay he should go, God will never with- 
hold His blessing. 

Next to the grace of God, Mrs. C. care- 
fully owned, that all her first and permanent 
religious impressions, were owing to the pi- 
ous affectionate care of her parents ; and to 
that judicious and affectionate course of dis- 
cipline, under which she was early brought 
up. At first, she thought her parents too 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



ici, while absolutely prohibiting the fash- 
ionable, though deeply vitiating amusements 
of the world. These prohibitions led her 
to look at home for enjoyments ; she began 
to examine her own mind, to pant after 
useful knowledge, to seek God as her Por- 
tion; and in these she found a source of 
pleasure, producing millions of gratifications, 
of which the gay, the giddy, and the garish 
never dream, and can never enjoy. She 
then most gratefully blessed God for her 
religious and well conducted education, 
which was the means of preparing her heart 
to receive the fulness of the blessing of the 
Gospel of Peace, when she came to hear it 
preached in that way in which her soul de- 
lighted. Those who were best acquainted 
with her, knew that on this account, her 
gratitude was not only great to God, but 
also to her parents ; to whom she ever felt 
a continually growing and affectionate at- 
tachment. 

Before this very important subject is dis- 
missed, the Editor begs leave to present the 
candid reader with another remark : It is not 
parental fondness nor parental authority, ta- 
ken separately, that can produce this benefi- 
cial effect. A father may be as fond of his 
offspring as Eli, and his children be sons of 
Belial: he may be as authoritative as the 
Grand Turk, and his chidren despise, and 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



plot rebellion against him. But let parental 
authority be tempered with fatherly affec- 
tion; and let the rein of discipline be stea- 
dily held by this powerful but affectionate 
hand ; and there, shall the pleasure of God 
prosper; there, will he give his blessing, 
even life for evermore. Many fine families 
have been spoiled, and many ruined, by the 
separate exercise of these two principles.— 
Parental affection, when alone, infallibly de- 
generates into foolish fondness ; and parental 
authority frequently degenerates into brutal 
tyranny, when standing by itself The first 
sort of parents will be loved, without being 
respected : the second sort will be dreaded, 
without either respect or esteem. In the first 
case, obedience is not exacted, and is there- 
fore felt to be unnecessary ; as offences of 
great magnitude pass without punishment 
or reprehension : in the second case, rigid 
exaction renders obedience almost impossi- 
ble, and the smallest delinquency is often 
punished with the extreme of torture ; which 
hardening the mind, renders duty a matter 
of perfect indifference. 

In editing the papers of Mrs. C. very few 
liberties have been taken, except in the 
mere article of abridgment. Here and 
there, a few errors have been corrected, 
and some expressions altered. Much of her 
MS. has been left unpublished, either be- 



ADVERTISEMENT. V* 

cause it was of a private nature, concerning 
herself and family alone ; or because it was 
not judged to be such as would tend to 
general Edification. The editor has never 
mingled his own observations with his text : 
what he found necessary to say, in order to 
introduce distinct parts, he has done by con- 
necting sentences ; which, in every place, 
are easily distinguishable from the words of 
that excellent person who is now with God. 
May the spirit in which she lived and died, 
rest abundantly on everv reader ! 
Jan. 1, 1814. A. CLARKE. 

The following character of Mrs. C. as a 
wife, was drawn up by him who was best 
qualified to do it. Writing to a friend, 
Mr. Cooper says, 

" Her Diary will best develope her cha- 
racter, respecting which, I ought to state, 
that no one ever knew she kept one ; I my- 
self had not the least idea of it, until it was 
discovered after her decease ; although for 
the few happy months of our union, we 
were of one heart and soul, and were al- 
most daily conversing together in the most 
unreserved manner of our experience in the 
things of God. 

. " What she appears, in that precious re- 
cord she has left behind, that she was in 
real life — a Christian indeed. She was not 



10 ADVERTISEMENT* 

content with the ordinary attainments of 
Christians ; she might be truly said to adorn 
the doctrine of God, her Saviour, in all 
things. ' The influence of the religion of 
Jesus, was seen and felt by all around, in her 
holy walk and conversation, and by the 
manifestation of every Christian temper. 

" I believe I may say with perfect truth, 
that I never saw any thing in her, from the 
time of our marriage till the day of her 
death, that w T as inconsistent with that holi- 
ness, after which she continually aspired, 
and which she enjoyed in an eminent degree. 
During that period, she never once gave the 
least pain to my mind ; nor do I recollect 
having observed, in a single instance, any 
temper or disposition, unbecoming a Chris- 
tian. 

" During the principal part of her mar- 
ried life, she suffered much bodily indispo- 
sition, on which account she was in a great 
measure prevented entering into those 
schemes of usefulness, for which she was 
particularly formed, and w T hich her benevo- 
lent heart cordially approved ; but, in her 
family, it was her daily study to prove a 
blessing to all about her ; and she was much 
concerned that our servants might have 
reason to bless God for bringing them 
under our roof; and she had the happiness 
of seeing that her prayers and endeavours 
for this purpose were not in vain. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 11 

" My dear little girl found in her a mother; 
indeed, had she been her own child, she 
could not possibly have given stronger proofs 
of maternal tenderness, affection, and care. 
Previous to our marriage, she carefully read 
Mrs. Hannah More's writings on education, as 
Well as some other authors on the same sub- 
ject, that she might be the better qualified to 
discharge what she considered a most impor- 
tant duty, viz. (to use her own words) ' to 
cultivate and rear this immortal plant for the 
paradise of God?* 

" She was of opinion that religion ought 
to be interwoven with the instructions of 
children, as soon as their tender minds are 
capable of receiving it ; accordingly, she 
began with our little Margaret as soon as 
we were married ; she was then two years 
old ; and so assiduous was she in her instruc- 
tions, that in a short time her infant pupil 
could repeat the Lord's Prayer, and three 
or four of Dr. Watts's Hymns for children. 

" The same grace which prompted her 
to a life of active piety and usefulness when 
in good health, enabled her to bear suffer- 
ing, w r hen called to it, with exemplary pa- 
tience and resignation. I never once heard 
an expression of murmuring or impatience 
escape from her lips. In her I had a living 
example of the efficacy of divine grace, and 

* See Diary, 15th June ; 1811. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



the blessedness of true religion. She pos- 
sessed a remarkable simplicity of mind, 
which led her to embrace truth wheresoever 
she found it, though delivered in the plainest 
and most hcmely form. She was also a 
possessor of much genuine Christian humili- 
ty ; not indeed of that which consists in 
mere expression, but of that which led her 
to prefer others before herself; and not- 
withstanding she possessed more than ordin- 
ary intellectual attainments, as well as more 
than common piety ; she carefully avoided 
a display of either, and never suffered others 
with whom she might be in company, to feel 
any inferiority. 

" In her Diary, she says, ' Mental accom- 
plishments avail little indeed, unless they 
regulate the heart, and cause the benefit to 
be more felt than seen ; I must not display, 
but act ; love and be beloved.' On these 
maxims she uniformly acted. » 

" It would be easy to say* more ; but I 
am persuaded it is not necessary. 

" J. C.I 



MEMOIRS 

OF THE LATE 

MRS. COOPER. 



V/F the early life of the late Mrs. Cooper $t 
near relative gives the following account : — 

" MISS MARY HANSON, eldest daughter 
of John Hanson, Esq. was born in London, Sept, 
16, 1786. She was favoured with a religious 
education, and was not suffered to enter into 
those foolish amusements which are so injurious 
to multitudes of young persons. 

" At twelve years of age she left school, and 
completed her education under private tuition. 
This, with the encouragement held out to her ap- 
plication and improvement by an intelligent and 
affectionate brother, proved the means of excit- 
ing, in her ardent mind, that thirst for knowledge 
which ever after proved a source of constant 
delight. Her early years were passed in com- 
parative solitude, her parents rightly judging, 
that the example of youth, in general, afforded 
but few instances worthy of imitation. But at 
the time, she thought this a very unnecessary 
strictness, and envied those whose less cautious 
parents suffered them to form acquaintance with- 
out injury or concern. 



14 DIARY OF 

u At this period, and previously to her leav- 
ing school, she often felt deep convictions of her 
own sinfulness, and the absolute necessity of 
personal religion. I have known her frequent- 
ly at school assemble several of the girls toge- 
ther in a large closet, and there speak to them, 
and pray with so much earnestness, that they 
have been all melted to tears; these impres- 
sions, however, were but as the c morning cloud, 
and early dew,' and were succeeded by a very 
different disposition of mind. In the summer 
of 1802, she for the first time left her parents' 
house, on a visit to Portsmouth and the Isle of 
Wight ; where the natural gaiety of her mind, 
which had been hitherto under restraint, meet- 
ing with objects congenial to its taste, appeared 
in all its ardour. Card parties and gay visits 
were now her delight ; and 1 have often heard 
her say that she endeavoured to disbelieve the 
Bible and the existence of a God. The reflec- 
tions of her retired moments were now so into- 
lerable to her, that to drown them, she read with 
her accustomed avidity, volume after volume of 
novels and romances. Fascinated with the 
world and its manners, she returned home with 
a mind little disposed to enter into those serious 
and self-denying views of religion, which the 
Spirit of God had wrought in the minds of three 
in her own family, during her absence; she, 
however, attended with them at the Lock cha- 
pel, where the judicious and intelligent preach- 
ing of the Rev. Mr. Fry, first arrested her at- 
tention, and then excited in her mind an earnest 
concern for the salvation of her soul. She soon , 



MRS. COOPER. lb 

became a member of the Lock, by receiving the 
Sacrament administered according to the form 
of the Church of England, which she always 
preferred; she also united herself with a society 
called a conversation meeting, under the super- 
intendence of her minister, for the purpose of 
spiritual advantage and instruction ; and exert- 
ed herself, to the utmost of her power, to in- 
struct a large class of girls in the Sunday school 
of that society. But her removal to Hammer- 
smith, in the spring of 1803, put a period to this 
work of love in which she so much delighted; 
and it was not until the year 1806 that an op- 
portunity again occurred, of resuming her suc- 
cessful endeavours to impart knowledge and 
light to the benighted minds of the ignorant 
poor ; this she did, not only on the Sabbath, 
but constantly twice in the week ; for she de- 
voted her evening hours to instruct them in 
writing, arithmetic, &c." 



[In the year 1806, Miss Hanson began to note 
down her religious experience, rather by way of 
meditation and reflection, than diary. For it 
does not appear that she began to keep a regu- 
lar diary till the year 1809. From the age of 
seventeen she had renounced the world, being 
fully persuaded that none of its pleasures or 
pursuits could impart happiness to her immor- 
tal spirit. For a considerable time she was a 
plant that flourished in the shade, and her real 
worth was little known ; but had God in his pro- 



16 DIARY OF 

vidence called her to a more public situation in 
life, such were her natural abilities, and so high- 
ly had she cultivated them, that she would have 
ranked high among those excellent and intelli- 
gent women who are an honour to our country. 
An extract from the meditations, mentioned 
above, will more justly portray her character than 
any thing that could be said by any other person. 
The first entry of this kind is dated in her twen- 
tieth year.] 

July 20, 1806. 
" Happiness is the universal object of pur- 
suit ; but how various are the ways which men 
propose to themselves for its attainment ! When 
the desired object is possessed, alas ! it also has 
inscribed upon it i vanity and vexation of spi- 
rit.' The hope still remains that the next at- 
tempt will prove more successful ; but alas I it is 
not in the power of finite creatures to impart it. 
God, in his wisdom, has made us dependent on 
himself for happiness ; he has given us a free 
will, to choose this world for our portion ; or, 
Himself, from whom flow pleasures for ever- 
more. Sin has so bewildered, so darkened the 
faculties of our souls, that every thing beyond 
what is finite, is enveloped in a mist. Revela- 
tion, the best gift of God to man, unfolds the 
glories of an invisible world. The solitude I 
have so long enjoyed, and yet, alas ! so little im- 
proved, has often led me to retire into my own 
mind, and converse with my heart. I have dis- 
covered a jewel, little prized because little known. 
This treasure, bestowed on all God's creatures, 



MRS. COOPER, 17 

when improved, may become a source of consola- 
tion and felicity that will make them superior to 
the contempt of men, and the agitations of dis- 
quietude. 1 feel convinced that to improve my 
intellectual powers is to have in store a constant 
spring of delights : it may prevent me from run- 
ning into those snares, which are held out as baits 
to the vacant, listless rnind. But let me not 
forget that inward monitor, that soul bestowed 
upon me ; that it is immortal, and will return to 
God who gave it, and that it is made capable of 
happiness or misery beyond this visible state. — 
The thread of life, so very slender, so soon 
broken, is in the hand of God. O ! thou Search- 
er of hearts, cold and senseless as I am to spi- 
ritual things, let not a consideration at once so 
awful and impressive, pass over my mind with- 
out its due weight. 

August 10, 1806. 
The cultivation of patience and meekness, 
both personally and relatively, is of the utmost 
social importance. If meekness in the sight of 
God is of great price, how must the possession 
and exercise of that spirit promote the peace of 
the possessor, and diffuse the charms of kind- 
ness around* In a moral point of view, the go- 
vernment of the passions, when heathenish 
darkness prevailed, was esteemed the highest 
pitch of moral perfection ; and worthy the en- 
deavour of every man. Socrates proved how 
the exercise of his reason could subdue disposi- 
tions of the worst kind ; mental energy could re- 
press passions, which, if unsubdued, would, like 
b2 



18 DIARfr OF 

a torrent, bear down every thing before them. 
If a man, destitute of the meridian light of re- 
velation, ignorant of the purity of the Deity, 
surrounded by superstition and Pagan brutality, 
could thus triumph over himself, how should a 
Christian blush, who indulges every rising dis- 
position, and suffers passions to be unchecked, 
which disturb the harmony of social intercourse, 
and exclude the sweet breath of peace ! 

I desire to live and act as in the sight of God ; 
of him who gave an example of what his fol- 
lowers should be. Professors of religion, while 
they study to preserve outward decency and cir- 
cumspection of deportment, too often stop there. 
This is a stumbling-block to many. Is this all 
Christianity has effected ? Was it for this only, 
the great Sacrifice was made ? Blush, Christian ! 
and be not called by that holy name, while you 
indulge dispositions and propensities which are 
in direct opposition to the lovely spirit of the 
gospel. It breathes love and benevolence.— 
The old nature of passion, revenge, malice, and 
envy, is to pass away, and the new nature of 
meekness, gentleness, and easiness to be entreat- 
ed, to take its place. — It requires both holiness 
of heart and life. Hence the serenity of the 
Christian is secured : and he is made capable 
of tasting that peace which passeth all under- 
standing. 

December 21, 1806. 
The happy retirement with which Providence 
has so long blessed me, affords me many oppor- 
tunities for reflection, and the exercise of those 



MRS. COOPER. 19 

powers with which man was endowed, — the re- 
mains of his high original ; for, in the image of 
God was man created. An immortal being 
should be a reflecting being, whose chief end is 
to glorify God. 1 should then deem it a privi- 
lege, that the means afforded to me, are so fa- 
vourable to my improvement in virtue and the 
knowledge of my Creator. My knowledge of 
the world has been sufficient to convince me, 
there is nothing in it capable of satisfying a soul 
formed for eternity. Happiness eludes our grasp 
like the moonlight shadow : if sought in the 
amusements of life, an hour's reflection discov- 
ers to us the dismal vacuum. Satiety often 
succeeds enjoyment. Amidst this general gloom, 
this chaos of disquietude, how delightfully does 
Christianity break in. It tells us not to love 
the world nor the things of the world ; our own 
experience proves the substance of all it con- 
tains ; vanity, vexation of spirit. Are we left 
helpless in this state ? O no ! consolation to the 
afflicted — repose to the weary — safety in danger 
— comfort in death, are all offered freely; and 
are all sealed to those who will accept of them 
by the blood of the Son of God. Christianity 
smooths the rugged path of life ; it fills the soul 
with a divine composure : creates at times a 
heavenly calm and foretaste of the blessedness 
in reversion. When alone, to reflect that God 
is with you, his Spirit engaged to assist and sanc- 
tify you, and Christ to justify and save you — O 
divine consolation ! let me fear nothing so much 
as a departure from God, as a carelessness 
about my soul; a thoughtlessness about eternity. 



20 DIARY OF 

In departing from Thee, I depart from happi- 
ness. To fear Thee is rectitude, to know Thee 
is wisdom, and to love Thee felicity. 

Nov. 1, 1807. 
When in secret retirement I reflect on the 
many illustrious saints who have sojourned 
here on earth, who have had to contend with in- 
ward and outward trials and vexations : when 
further I view them in the chamber of death, 
hear the last groan that can ever escape them ; 
and trace their flight to those realms of blessed- 
ness where no sigh can ever enter to interrupt 
the harmony of the skies, or the eternal repose 
of its inhabitants — whence is this lukew T armness 
of soul, this indifference which so successfully 
takes possession of my spirit? Why am I not 
animated by the review of those who have 
fought and triumphed, and have attained those 
mansions of everlasting rest ? 

Now, that outward circumstances so much 
conspire to render a life of religion easy ; bless- 
ed with every external help; how is it that the 
world claims so large a portion of that heart 
which I would fain give up entirely to my Maker? 
O my God ! what reason have I to dread lest fu- 
ture days should find me enslaved in sin ; gree- 
dy of the pleasures this life affords. O let not 
that heart which has tasted the delights of com- 
munion with Thee, those lips which have spoken 
thy praise, ever prove so treacherous to the be- 
nirlcent Author of my being ! 

When I view time and eternity as to their ef- 
fect upon the soul ; lam convinced how low sunk 



MRS, COOPER. 21 

in sin must my spirit be, which, thus practically 
mismeasures them. In a little time, ruin will 
drive his ploughshare o'er this creation ; the 
thunder of heaven will burst with tenfold 
violence ; the lightnings will make the impend- 
ing gloom tremendously visible ; the elements 
shall become the instruments in the hand of the 
Deity, to proclaim to man that the hour of ret- 
ribution is come ! By terrors shall they now learn, 
that time is to be now swallowed up in the ocean, 
of eternity. 

Fast Day, Feb. 17, 1808. 

As indisposition deprives me of the use of 
public ordinances, I will attempt to supply the 
want of them by a more particular examination 
of my own heart. 

On this day, wisely appropriated for a season 
of national self-recollection and repentance, I 
would not have myself added to the number of 
those, who defeat the purpose of the institution 
by a coldness and indifference, or total neglect 
of its due observance. 

As in the sight of God, I would search out 
those secret sins, which have so much separated 
me from those divine consolations and gracious 
influences, which I believe I once experienced; 
and here I blush at the recollection, that to my 
closet, I at once trace the cause of all those 
heart-wanderings, that spiritual indifference, 
which, alas ! has too often grieved the Holy 
Spirit who has striven with me. 



22 DIARY OP 

u I hate the sins that made Thee mourn, 
" And drove Thee from my breast." 

Prayer, by which only that mysterious com- 
munication between the Creator and his crea- 
tures, can be maintained : prayer, which has 
sometimes introduced a very heaven into the 
soul ; the most exalted and blissful employment 
of finite creatures ; that which angels behold, 
with delight, and devils tremble to view ; alas I 
alas ! how often has a stupid indifference been 
substituted for this. I have entered my closet, 
have shut the door, and strangely forgotten 
that the eyes of the Lord were upon a stupid 
senseless creature. Little did the humble pos- 
ture of my body accord with a rebellious stub- 
born heart, alive to s "every thing but its eternal in- 
terests ! 

Prayer, formally, carelessly performed. — O 
my God ! I confess with shame and confusion 
of face, that from this I trace pride, self-sufficien- 
cy, worldly-mindedness, and an indifference to 
those ordinances which once filled my soul with 
calm delight,. 

Sometimes, indeed, when I have asked my 
own heart on entering upon my devotions, 
t What is it you need ? God knows and beholds 
you.' Then have I been enabled to pour out 
my soul in confessing my sins, and have found 
lively impressions of the presence of God ; and 
have arisen determined to be more diligent in 
obtaining an acquaintance with my own heart. 
But a few days have shown me the treachery of 
my intentions, and the impossibility, without the 



MRS. COOPER. 23 

assistance of God's Spirit, of maintaining any 
thing like the life and power of religion within 
me. The grace of God, like a spark in the 
ocean, can only be kept alive by a miracle. 

O, thou gracious Being ! do thou pardon 
these my misdoings, do thou purify my soul 
from its many corruptions, and let thy blessed 
Spirit strive once more within me. O, renew 
my soul ! Place eternity, with all its blissful en- 
joyments before me, that I may choose Thee for 
my portion and happiness. 

The vain and unsatisfying enjoyments of this 
world, which have had so much influence on me, 
O let them fade from my remembrance ; let me 
view them in their true colours, and feel them 
in their deceitful tendency. Lord, thou didst 
create me for immortality. When the breath of 
life entered this corruptible body, I became a 
sojourner in a land which yields not fruits of such 
a nature as are sufficient to satisfy a soul jour- 
neying to another country 5 O ma»j 1 live before 
Thee for ever J 

Sunday, Feb. 21, 1808. 

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord 3 
that maketh the Lord his portion ; who, with 
eyes filled with tears of gratitude, can say, 'The 
Lord is my shepherd.' Blessings, beyond mor- 
tal calculation, are included in this personal ap- 
propriation. 

Thus to regard that God, of whose approach 
thunders and lightnings were the symbols, when 
about to dispense his laws to his creatures; to 
call him by that endearing epithet — What a 



.24 DIARY OF 

mysterious privilege ! My soul, do thou diligent- 
ly seek to be included in the number of that bles- 
sed flock. He who said, ' Let there be light, 
and there was light $' who, by an act of his will, 
created man : and, but for infinite love,, might 
have destroyed him when he broke the only 
command imposed on him ; he who taketh up 
the isles as a very little thing, who counteth the 
nations as a drop of a bucket — even this God 
proposes himself for thy portion, O my soul ! 

Lost in the contemplation of thy attributes, 
teach me, O Lord, to comprehend how it is, so 
intimate a relation as a father and child can 
subsist between Thee, who art infinitely great, 
and a rebellious lost child of Adam ? It is 
enough; that holy word, inscribed by the pen 
of mercy, exhibits it to my understanding. I 
would wonder and adore. 

Why did I not behold the light in regions 
where stocks and stones are the objects of ado- 
ration ? why do I not owe my origin to parents 
who have substituted Mohammed for Christ ? 
To distinguishing mercy alone, we owe the pri- 
vilege of reading that blessed word, which a few 
centuries ago was denied to all but a domineer- 
ing priesthood. O my God, how imperfect is 
the attempt to acknowledge the gratitude I 
would feel in having parents who fear Thee; 
who have taught me thy word, and brought me 
up with a reverence for thy ordinances : my 
heart, so prone to be rebellious, so alive to vani- 
ty, so negligent of self-inquiry, what would it 
have been, or rather, what would it not have 
been, had they introduced me to the follies, and 



MRS. COOPER. 



the dissipation to which thousands, less distin- 
guished than myself, have become a ready prey : 
a prey to that enemy who ever watches the un- 
watchful; who lurks to destroy; who strews 
the paths of youth with snares and baits, that 
he may carry them captive. 

]f, after the enumeration of such privileges, I 
should be found a mere speculative believer, a 
practical Atheist, how great the condemnation ! 

If religion be true, it ought to be the grand 
object of my life — the supreme concern of my 
heart. 

April 8, 1308. 
When the world, with its siren smiles, tempts 
us to drink deep of its enjoyments ; when it 
would allure us into the paths of security, and 
whisper peace to the soul ; youth, unsuspecting 
youth, fondly believes it true. In the spring of 
life, how many sweet-scented flowers meet us in 
our path ; while regaling our senses with their 
beauty, we forget that winter will seclude them 
from our view — that darkness succeeds to light, 
andthatcalms precede storms. When disappoint- 
ment lowers,and the cloud of affliction seems just 
ready to burst ; then it is the world is stript of 
its m ask, an d its true ch ar acter r u shes on th e vi e w. 
Life is a chequered scene. As soon as our frail 
bark is committed to the mighty deep, the waves 
and billows of disquietude roll over our heads, 
If religion be the pilot, we are safe in the storm, 
I desire to lay the foundation of my happiness 
upon that rock, against which the afflictive un- 
certainties of this life must dash in vain : on 
c 



26 DIARY OF 

this foundation the peace of my soul shall rest 
secure. 

The firm persuasion I have of a particular 
providence, of the divine superintendence in ev- 
ery affair of my life, will console me under ev- 
ery disappointment. When I view mankind, 
their disappointments, miseries, disease, and 
wretchedness, and see that each individual has 
a cup of sorrow to drink ; I feel surprised that 
this world should ever appear alluring to my 
eyes ; that it should ever lay siege to my heart 
with so much success : that the things relative 
to another world should be so dimly viewed, so 
little prized. Religion, if it be sincere, must be 
the prevailing disposition of the mind ; it must 
supersede every thing else ; it must be a pro- 
gressive work, and the soul must be preparing 
for a state of perfect holiness." 



[For about four years after the family went 
to reside wholly at Hammersmith, Miss Hanson 
devoted a considerable part of her leisure time 
to the improvement of her mind, and in this 
she found a source of pleasure, which she valu- 
ed far more than those empty pursuits, which 
engage the attention of too many of her own 
age ; and it appears from the following mem- 
orandum that she pursued some method in her 
studies.] 

May 2, 1808. 

" The practice of early rising will, I hope, 
afford me ample opportunity of pursuing the 



MRS. COOPER. 27 

following course and arrangement of read- 
ing: 

Begin every morning with reading a chapter 
in the Old Testament, and one in the New. 

My devotional exercices to succeed. 

Monday. — History, with maps. Gibbon's 
Rome to succeed Ferguson's Republic. 

Tuesday. — Natural history in turn, compris- 
ing botany, chimistry, and astronomy. 

Wednesday. — History. 

Thursday. — The English poets, make ex- 
tracts from each ; and one chapter of Locke on 
the Understanding. 

Friday. — Natural History. 

Saturday. — History. 

Sunday — The scriptures, and other devo- 
tional books." 



[In October, 1808, the gentleman, whose 
ministry she then attended, died. This circum- 
stance seems to have affected her mind deeply, 
and in consequence, she was led to make the fol- 
lowing serious reflections.] 

Oct. 6, 1808. 
" The remains of our beloved pastor, the 
Rev. W. Humphries, I have this day seen con- 
signed to the silent tomb. His grave has been 
bedewed with the tears of his sorrowing flock ; 
who have committed to the cold ground a man 
who possessed every grace that could endear a 
minister to his people. Such a life, and such a 



28 DIARY OF 

death ! O may they be engraven on the tablet 
of my remembrance ! Angels have conveyed 
him to the bosom of his Redeemer : and there 
he rests from pain, toil, and sorrow. Death has 
introduced him to that inheritance, that mansion 
of bliss prepared for him. Whilst we, encom- 
passed by dull mortality, mourn on earth, he has 
reached his port, the haven of celestial rest. — 
The glories of the eternal world are gradually 
unfolding on his astonished sight : and now, 
could he once more address us, how forcibly 
would he urge the importance of pressing for- 
ward in the heavenly road, and of laying hold 
on eternal life I 

May I ever remember what a shining light he 
was, how the rays of his benignity were shed 
around on all who knew him. The image of 
the Redeemer was stamped on his life and con- 
versation. Like him may I be devoted to God, 
and find in devotion a resource and refreshment 
to which my weary soul may betake itself, and 
find the davvnings of heaven. The soul, that 
immortal principle, which will survive the con- 
flagration of the universe, was formed to live 
forever: and that dissatisfaction, attendant on 
the possession of every earthly good, that va- 
cuum which nothing sublunary can fill; that 
proneness to look forward in search of something 
yet unpossessed; how does all this prove its 
immortal destination ? A heavenly spark which 
first emanated from the Deity. O may I more 
diligently converse with my own heart $ and 



MRS. COOPER. 29 

feel more practically the immense importance of 
living to the God who made me. 

Sunday, Oct 16, 1808. 
The services of this day have been so pecu- 
liarly solemn and affecting, that I desire to make 
a memorial of the impressions made on my 
mind. At once sensible of the immense impor- 
tance of Christianity, and the levity and thought- 
lessness of my heart ; I wish to improve by re- 
flection those seasons when my mind has been 
impressed, and my affections raised to those 
spiritual objects, which I earnestly trust will be 
the portion of my soul for ever. Our dear 
minister has left us; at the summons of his God, 
his soul took its flight to the regions of eternal 
bliss ; but his example, his life, and holy con- 
versation, which the voice of friendship has so 
faithfully detailed, still lives in my remembrance ; 
lovely in life, O how lovely in death ! When I 
gazed on his remains, which still bore the impress 
of serenity with which he met the summons of 
death ; how ardently did I pant for a share in 
that salvation which in such a season, could en- 
circle the brow with composure, the spirit with 
delight. Let me view his life : the young were 
the peculiar objects of his solicitude ; for them 
he laboured, and by ten thousand nameless in- 
stances won upon their affections, and made them 
admire the piety so influential in himself. He 
sought the Lord early and his progress was never 
impeded by the indulgence of worldly habits. 
He continued steadfast in his course, and by his 
life and conversation evinced how practical Chris- 
c 2 



SO DIARY OF 

tianity shines : how superior to a mere speculative 
reception of its truths — to a flaming zeal about 
certain doctrines, which, while they engage the 
head, freeze the heart, and limit that spirit of 
benevolence which diffuses the charms of kind- 
ness to all around. His sun has set at noon. — 
He was ripe for the heavenly inheritance : his 
gentle spirit, disencumbered of mortality, is now 
in possession of that happiness purchased by the 
Son of God ; c who wept that man might smile, 
who bled that man might never die.' 

Why is it that my soul is so content with earth- 
ly fare ? why does it lay schemes of bliss below 
the skies ? why are my affections so engrossed 
by material things, while that spark of fire di- 
vine, which ought to flame with love to God, 
is unimproved ? alas, how oft is this unnoticed. 

November 15, 1808, 
To a social mind, pleasures derive an increase 
of enjoyment from communication : and sorrows 
which oppress the heart, how greatly are they 
alleviated by the kindness of a sympathizing 
friend ; by the balm of affection poured into the 
wounded heart. But there is a melancholy which 
tinges every rising pleasure with discontent, 
which repels consolation ; its existence in the 
mind is nurtured with mournful delight, and, 
unsatisfied with this world, it disdains its offered 
comforts. 

Thus I feel, and acknowledge the mercy, 
mingled with judgment, that appoints to each 
probationer for heaven a cup of sorrow ; were it 
not for this, the soul would grovel here beiow, 



MRS. COOPER. 31 

it would become captivated with earthly posses- 
sions, nor glance a thought on the appointed 
end for which it exists. The gold would never 
be separated from the dross; were it, instead of 
passing through the furnace, to be exposed only 
to the sunshine, there it might lie for ever unal- 
tered. Prosperity is a severe trial to the Chris- 
tian ; when the path is strewed with roses, and 
nature, attired in loveliness, invites us to gaze, 
and be satisfied with a paradise here below, how 
readily does the heart obey its dictates: how- 
disposed to lose itself in the possession of present 
happiness ; and to forget, that winter, with an 
unsparing hand, will dismantle nature of its 
beauties; that the clouds will gather blackness, 
and the big tempest burst upon our heads. It 
is then in despondency We look around^ and ask 
for the c sea that knows no storms;' for the 
port in which the mariners will find an exemp- 
tion from the waves and billows of disquietude. 
O my God, let me seek thee in health, and thou 
wilt be near me in sickness; be thou the su- 
preme object of my regard in prosperity, and 
then I shall not have to look around in vain for 
comfort, when chill adversity lifts its correcting 
baud; in seasons like the present, when my 
spirit, pervaded with gloom, finds no comfort 
but in aspirations after thee. O from Heaven, 
thy dwelling-place, lend a listening ear, make 
me to pant after thee ! May I never feel a stu- 
pid indifference andlukewarmness in the pursuit 
of a# eternal exemption from pain and sorrow. 

Eternity ! thou pleasing, dreadful thought- 
Time, what is it ? a moment, a vapour, a shad- 



DIARY OF 



ow; all, all comparison fails. Eternity is a 
boundless ocean, in which the emancipated spirit 
shall enjoy the smile, or sustain the frowns and 
vengeance of the Deity for ever. 



[The six following months she appears to 
have devoted, in a peculiar manner, to the 
cultivation of her mind, in various branches of 
useful knowledge; the study of history still 
being paramount to all others : and yet not 
pursued so as to exclude more serious subjects ; 
for with this she frequently connected a deep 
consideration of her eternal interests ; as the 
following extracts from her journal sufficiently 
prove :] 

November 18, 1808. 
" I find considerable pleasure in Gibbon's 
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ,• it is a 
great monument of human genius and human 
fallibility. His invidious allusions to Christiani- 
ty,! was prepared to meet; when entering on it, 
I begged of God to guard my mind from error, 
and not to suffer me to imbibe its sceptical spirit. 
My mind is perhaps in a degree fortified, by a 
previous examination of the evidences on which 
our religion rests. Where 1 have thought Gib- 
bon's representations of ecclesiastical facts have 
been obscured by the darkness of his mind and 
intentions, I have referred to the same period 
in Milner's Church History, and am not left 
to draw my conclusions of Christianity from 



MRS. COOPER. 33 

his representation of its progress and adherents ; 
if I were, my inferences would be very unfavour- 
able* 

In the pure and invigorating atmosphere of 
the Roman republic, in which one delights to 
trace the progress of civilization, freedom, con- 
quest, and philosophy ; the human intellect wa< 
cultivated to a high pitch of perfection; but 
this state was succeeded by a gradual prostra- 
tion of the minds of men. In reflecting on the 
cause of this, I was reminded of the case of a 
man, who beginning with but little property, 
gradually amassed a large fortune, for the at- 
tainment of which great assiduity and exertion 
were necessary; he omitted nothing likely to 
improve and accelerate the objects of his pur- 
suit ; riches are increased, large estates purchas- 
ed, he sits down at his ease, and thinks of noth- 
ing but enjoyment; luxuries steal upon him, and 
he becomes more and more enervated; yoir 
look in vain for the industrious, persevering, 
self-denying man ; no trace is left ; and his 
successors become enchained to their estates : 
their faculties, not being exercised, grow torpid ; 
their talents are swallowed up in sensuality; 
they are slaves to their passions, and they 
become slaves in their country. 

December 25, 1808. 
The cultivation of my understanding has long 
been my aim and desire, and the time usually 
devoted by those of my own age and sex, to 
pleasure and frivolity, has been spent in more 
rational pursuits. The restraints of education 



Si DIARY OF 

were, in the first instance, imposed upon me: 
this yoke I impatiently bore 3 but when, by the 
mercy of God, I was made sensible of the vanity 
of worldly pursuits, and their dangerous tenden- 
cy y and, above all, was convinced that I had 
an immortal soul within me, that an omnipresent 
Deity was the witness of my actions, the search- 
er of my heart and intentions ; I was, I trust, 
made desirous of choosing God for my portion. 
Man must have recreations, resources, pleasures ; 
the improvement of the mind, of the reasoning 
faculties, appears the noblest and most rational 
of indulgences. Knowledge has been so capti- 
vating to my imagination, that I have with ea- 
gerness snatched every spare moment for its 
attainment. While endeavouring to scan the 
great arcana of nature ; to trace the finger of 
the Deity in every production ; to mark his ob- 
vious designs in every creature of his hand; 
with what a double relish have I viewed the 
works of the great Creator ; how has my heart 
glowed with joy in exploring these fields of 
novelty and information ; nothing so much 
tends to exalt our ideas of God ; nothing is so 
calculated to produce humility ; nature is open 
for our perusal, and, by its beauties, alluring to 
the observer. How powerfully does the immen- 
sity of the great Creator strike the soul, when 
contemplating the starry hosts, when wrapt in 
astonishment, the spirit rises to the stars, and 
views them as the creation of its Father's hand. 
O ! endearing title ; though he dwells in the 
highest heavens, he has also his residence in 



MRS. COOPER. 36 

the humble and contrite heart ; which is as 
much the object of his care as if it alone existed. 

When dissolving nature shall proclaim that 
the hour of retribution is at hand ; when the 
rocks and mountains shall prove a vain defence 
against the piercing eye of the avenging Deity ; 
O that I may hail the moment as the time of my 
complete happiness, when soul and body, once 
more united, shall rise to eternal happiness. — * 
Why do I ever linger in pursuit of such a prize ? 
It is my desire to have a greater acquaintance 
with God and his works, and more humbling 
views of myself. I wish to strive against every 
appearance of vanity, conceit, and self-sufficiency. 
Knowledge, without wisdom, pufYeth up: I 
would, in this respect, ivatch my heart. 

History I much delight in ; and the perusal 
of Rollin, Ferguson, and Gibbon, has not only 
entertained, but much instructed me. To be 
made acquainted with the transactions of ages 
long since passed away 5 of empires which once 
existed in all earthly splendour, now known 
only in the scanty page of history ; to trace the 
actions of great and virtuous men, though in- 
volved in Pagan darkness ; their love of virtue, 
so far as they knew it; their patriotism, which 
led them to sacrifice all for their country ; how 
entertaining and instructive! The History of 
Greece, in a lively, forcible manner, portrays the 
effects of freedom and philosophy. Pericles, 
Aristides, Socrates, Epaminondas, all succes- 
sively rivet the attention and excite admiration. 

The career of these great men was generally 
closed by the effects of the blackest ingratitude 



5ti DIARY OF 

from their countrymen ; their sun, which rose 
in splendour, and ascended to its meridian with- 
out a cloud to shade its glories, set in blackness 
and darkness ; their services forgotten in the 
torrent of envy and malignity, which obscured 
their last days. Painful are the instances of 
the vicissitudes of fortune ; dreadful the effects 
of the unrestrained passions of men : but how 
obvious, to a reflecting mind, is the superinten- 
dence of Providence over the creation Great 
men, raised up for peculiar ends ; kings, who 
had grossly abused their diadem, and made 
their supreme power the instrument of intoler- 
ance and oppression to their subjects, are made 
to lick the dust ; and, hurled from their splen- 
dour, feel the bitter pangs of remorse. Nations 
who have filled up the measure of their iniqui- 
ties, become successively the prey of barbarians ; 
all work together for some great political uni- 
versal good 5 all proclaim his care, who at once 
views causes and effects 5 and sees from be- 
ginning to end. 

Christianity certainly lost much of its primi- 
tive simplicity when Constantine made it an ap- 
pendage to the state. His patronage introduced 
numbers into the church, who made religion a 
worldly gain. Pampered in courts, its adhe- 
rents lost sight of our Saviour's declaration, 
6 My kiugdom is not of this world,' The church 
became rapidly corrupt. The fifth and sixth 
centuries present a most awful picture of the 
abuse and degeneracy of Christianity ; a slight 
difference of opinion was sufficient to arm the 
opponents with swords, and every weapon that 



MRS. COOPER. 37 

could in any wise injure their adversary. The 
worship of images, the supremacy of the bishop 
of Rome, seemed to proclaim the reign of An- 
tichrist : and Mohammed the impostor was cer- 
tainly destined to scourge those Christian nations, 
who had provoked God by their idolatrous anti- 
christian acts. 

I could not read the dissemination of his prin- 
ciples, and the rapidity of his conquests, without 
viewing the just judgments of God on those na- 
tions, who seemed sensual enough to admit just 
such opinions, and such a religion, as Mohammed 
was about to enforce upon them, by the power of 
the sword. O God, thy judgments are just and 
righteous altogether ! 



Jan. 1, 1809. 

x We take no note of time but from its loss.' 

I have just closed another year of my mortal 
account ; it is an epoch which demands reflec- 
tion, as, ere the close of the present one, the an- 
gel of death may swear that time with me shall 
be no longer. As the veil which now separates 
me from eternity may be drawn aside, and the 
realities of a future state burst on my astonished 
soul; it becomes me, therefore, as a being on 
whom God has bestowed an immortal spirit, to 
make ready, and to live in daily expectation of 
an event, which, from its uncertainty, is of the 
utmost importance ; and from its consequences, 
of tremendous moment.— Strange th? infatuation 

D 



33 DIARY OF 

that there can be triflers on the brink of such at 
precipice ! The beasts of the field, the birds of 
the air, all fulfil the appointed end of their exist* 
ence ; shall T, endued with a rational soul, an 
immortal principle, live to myself, confine my 
hopes, views, and expectations, to this transito- 
ry state, this commencement of being, where 
thorns and briers annoy my path ; and where I 
may to-morrow be bereft of every comfort ? — 
Forbid it, O God ! make me more diligent, more 
earnest in my desires after thee ; more watchful 
over my own heart ; and more willing to prepare 
myself, by a holy life, for the enjoyment of thy 
presence for ever. Let not my earnestness in the 
pursuit of knowledge be a snare to me, either by 
occupying too much of my thoughts, to the exclu- 
sion of devotion, or by making me proud and os- 
tentatious : rather let it be an increasing cause of 
humility, never to estimate nor regard people 
according to their acquirements, but according 
to their character and good sense: for, had they 
possessed opportunities and advantages equally 
favourable to the improvement of their minds, 
they might have exercised their talents to better 
purpose. By the cultivation of my mind, the 
exercise of my reason, I hope, in future life, 
to fill up my station more rationally, and with a 
greater share of propriety than those who either 
have not had, or have voluntarily neglected, 
the same means of improvement. To be rea- 
sonable in my judgment, liberal in my opinion, 
benevolent in my intentions, will, I hope, be the 
lasting practical effects of my present desires of 
information: ever to remark the great chain of 



MRS. COOPER. 5'J 

Providence, every link of which is necessary to 
the completion of his designs. The inequali- 
ties of good and evil in this life 5 the sufferings 
of virtue, the triumphs of vice ; ail this will be 
cleared up at the day of retribution, [t is God 
who commands the raging of the seas, who, for 
wise designs, permits the existence of evil. 

January 22, 1809. 

I feel the importance of a consistent and uni- 
form devotedness to religion ; and desire di- 
ligently to cultivate my heart, ta w r atch over the 
risings of irregular tempers, and to repress eve» 
ry irritable thought. How delightful to be the 
mean of infusing serenity and benevolence ; to 
cheer the path of life by an habitual disposition 
to extract sweet from bitter ; the thorn from the 
rose f — 

Religion ! what does it effect, unless the heart 
be transformed : meekness should take place of 
anger ; kindness of revenge ; love of hatred. — 
To be decided in this momentous contest, to 
wage a constant warfare with the natural cor- 
ruptions of the heart: this habitual decision 
alone can give that peace which the gospel pro- 
claims to be the portion of the upright. The 
heart must be devoted to God; the breathings 
of the soul must be after him ; conformity to him 
must be the predominant principle of the soul. 
The wheels of time are rapidly rolling on : the 
contest, though it be severe, is short : and what 
is life? O ! it is all important; here we perform 
our little part ; but, ah ! an eternity depends on 
the right improvement of time. By the word of 



40 DIARY OF 

God I shall be judged ; how deeply conversant 
ought 1 then to be with its sacred contents, not 
to peruse it with the same carelessness as ano- 
ther book, but diligently to study it, and to me- 
ditate upon it. I ought to keep stated seasons 
for prayer and meditation. 1 should not be dis- 
couraged by want of fervour 5 for though the 
duty be at first discouraging, yet, by persever- 
ing in the use of the means, a blessing must en- 
sue. O God ! enable me thus to act. 

January 30, 1809. 
In such a night as this, when every rising 
blast chills the soul, and threatens destruction 
to all around, I am ready to say, the Lord is 
abroad : who can now say I rest securely ? who 
is safe but he who can wrap himself in the arms 
of omnipotence? and who defies storms and 
tempests to separate him from his love, who 
carries the lambs in his bosom ? The righteous 
only, shall abide under the shadow of the Al- 
mighty. Tempests remind us of thy existence, 
O God ! of thy superintendence, and of our fee- 
bleness and dependence upon thee : the shak- 
ings of the nations, the concussions of the ele- 
ments, all proclaim thy judgments. — O ! that 
they may not speak in vain. To lay up a trea- 
sure in heaven, that is wisdom ; and though this 
life be troublous, and its path thorny, 

-Why grievous these appear, 



1 If all it pays for Heaven's eternal year ; * 
1 If these sad sobs, and piteous sighs, secure 
{ Delights that live, when worlds no more endure 



MRS. COOPER. 4\ 

This is only a state of probation : born, that we 
may live for ever : why then should the delights 
of earth allure us to that precipice of pleasure, 
whence the soul dares not look beyond present 
enjoyments : it is a precipice and a dangerous 
one. Death may receive its commission to sum- 
mon us before his tribunal, who demands the 
whole heart, who hates divided affections ; if, 
instead of acting as immortal beings, we live in 
a state of sensation little superior to the brutes, 
whose appetites alone guide them ; how awful 
must the state be when the union is dissolved 
between the body and the living principle with- 
in ! When its faculties are no longer corporeally 
clouded, no more shackled by sense ; how ex- 
quisite must be its feelings, how changed its ca- 
pacities. May a constant preparation for the 
eternal world be a paramount consideration with 
me. — May I have habitual desires of acquaint- 
ance with God, and cultivate a spirit of depend- 
ence upon him. O ! that the Spirit of God 
may enlighten my eyes ; and illuminate my dark 
benighted soul. 

Feb. 19, 1S09. 
The grand resurrection of nature is now ap- 
proaching, and the mind, attuned to contempla- 
tion, dilates with joy in listening to the first 
warblings of the grateful songsters ; their cheer- 
ful notes seem their tribute of praise to him who 
has fed them in the past season. The embryo 
blossoms, kind nature has preserved with much 
care, now burst forth. There lives and works 
%soul in all things; and that soul is God,— 
»2 



42 DIAKT OF 

How rich is nature in amusements ! its varie- 
ties, what a field for curiosity, wonder, and in- 
terest ! The mind, abstracted by these delight- 
ful speculations, is independent ; sources ever 
within reach, while they fill the mind with rap- 
ture, and point to the great Jirst cause; they in- 
struct the heart ; and, while the heavenly hosts 
fill the skies nightly with silent pomp, make us 
exclaim, Lord, what is man ! And when an ap- 
prehension arises, that, amidst the infinity of his 
works, so insignificant a being might be over- 
looked ; the unbelieving suggestion is quelled 
by the volume of nature 5 it is he that causes 
the grass to spring forth ; it is he that gives the 
fowls of the air their food ; he careth even for 
them ! how much more then for man, whose be- 
ing he sustains ; and who was created in his 
image. The Christian desires to consecrate all 
his pursuits to the service of God ; and whe- 
ther his providential dominion be traced in his- 
tory or in philosophy, all may be made subser- 
vient to the great end of our existence. To 
improve and cultivate the rational powers is 
worthy of an intelligent being, on whom God 
has bestowed an active living principle, inde- 
pendent of that body which is, for a season on- 
ly, its companion : this will mingle with the 
dust ; but the soul, capable of pleasure and 
pain, will survive the world, and know no end. 
Childhood is a state of probation for manhood, 
and this life for another. Virtue and vice, in a 
degree, receive their reward in this life; not 
completely so ; it is the prerogative of Omnis- 
cience alone to assign hereafter rewards and 



MRS. COOPER. 43 

punishments. I must then conclude, that the 
chief business of my life should be to secure the 
favour of my Creator ; J am not left to wander 
in the mazes of philosophy, the erring dictates 
of fallen reason ; their light was indeed dark- 
ness, darkness visible. Revelation, that meridi- 
an sun, has opened a way of access to the offend- 
ed Deity ; justice and mercy are reconciled, and 
man may be a partaker of the blessings of sal- 
vation. 

April 30, 1809. 
How delightful is the contemplation of the 
works of God ! my enraptured eye runs over 
the productions of the earth with a curiosity 
and interest that never leave me : the passing 
clouds, the opening flowers, the sweet river, 
whose constant changes give a variety to the 
scenes, how successively do these steal on my 
imagination, and oft-times how inexpressible is 
my gratitude for receiving from the hands of God 
so many outward blessings ; and a mind capable 
of drawing the truest delight from them. But, 
oh, yon beauteous cloud has vanished, and the 
flowers which I delight to view will fade and 
die ; nature, and all her loveliness, is but transito- 
ry in her duration. Time with me has a destined 
period ; but time is a loan, of the misimprove- 
ment of which my God will require a strict ac- 
count. Does not reason imperiously demand 
that the Author of my being should receive the 
homage of my heart ? thus far it goes, but no 
farther. Revelation takes me up where reason 
leaves me ; it has drawn aside the veil ? aa<i 



44 DIARY OF 

made manifest a mode of access whereby the 
Deity receives into the arms of his love the 
creature who had revolted from his government; 
but who returns with penitential tears, and asks 
for mercy through the atoning sacrifice. 

O! my soul, do thou press forward with more 
alacrity in the heavenly road ; much is to be 
done ; a corrupt heart must be renewed; the 
motives of thy conduct must be traced to the 
love of God; every attainment in knowledge 
must be consecrated to God, must be subservi- 
ent ta the end of thy being ; and humility must 
mark every part of this deportment. How much 
is to be done ? but what is the alternative ?— 
Endless blessedness ,. or endless misery. 

By prayer, and dependence on God, I hope 
to overcome that slothfulness of Spirit which 
has so much prevailed over me. I trace much 
to the loss of time in bed ; it has occasioned me 
to hurry over my devotions, and produced a lassi- 
tude of mind which has operated sensibly on all 
my undertakings. I do propose now to rise at or 
before six, and to offer my feeble orisons to God 
in a more becoming heart-felt manner. My 
other studies to be orderly pursued. — History, 
natural and moral philosophy, particularly 
Locke's Conduct of the Understanding. My 
heart ought to overflow with gratitude to that 
Being who has so profusely bestowed his mer- 
cies upon me. Had I lived in a town or city^ 
how would the morning of my days have confin- 
ed my understanding, cramped my views and 
my delights in the works of nature. Retire- 
ment, I thank thee ; from thy calm influence I 



MRS. COOPER, 45 

have been taught to seek in an improvement of 
my understanding, pleasures which live within 
my constant reach : the superiority of these, to 
the trifling, unsatisfactory vanites of the world, 
have made me hug them to my heart; and court 
their continued influence." 



[The following letter, containing the plan of 
a correspondence between her and her eldest 
brother is a proof of her early attention to the 
cultivation both of her mind and heart : and 
how much sound judgment and conscience were 
consulted, even in what was at that time consi- 
dered as little else than recreation.] 

Lower Mall, Nov. 5, 1806. 
" My Dear Brother, 

A letter of very ancient date (July 10,) now 
before me, silently reproves my negligence ; the 
time which has elapsed might warrant your con- 
cluding I was wholly indifferent about engaging 
you as a correspondent, something or ether has 
hitherto satisfied my conscience ; further pleac 
now fail, and I feel happy in the idea of address- 
ing my dear Joseph, tit his own home ; a period 
which has no doubt been anticipated, in your 
youthful days, as an era of liberty not then en- 
joyed : now you are become your own master, 
your expectations of further comfort rest in fu- 
turity ; the next step, will be that of becoming 
a family man ; and so on. 

I trust our hopes will extend beyond this life* 



46 DIART OF 

and then we shall find a solace in the frustration 
of those wishes, the accomplishment of which 
is always uncertain. 

Now, that the winter is shutting in upon us, I 
am willing to hope you will derive the comfort I 
promise myself, in the mutual communication 
of our thoughts : be our personal interviews 
ever so frequent, our correspondence may go on 
the same : and we may freely express on paper 
those sentiments that perhaps would have re- 
mained concealed from each other, but for this 
pleasing medium of conversing. You know, 
my dear Joseph, I am particularly fond of shut- 
ting myself in my closet on a winter's evening ; 
and there spending some of the happiest mo- 
ments of my existence with my pen or my 
book : — this comfort winter affords me : and I 
shall find it a great delight in these silent hours 
intimately to receive your thoughts on profitable 
subjects, and to express mine in return. I have 
now to subscribe to the agreement you drew up, 
and shall transcribe it for your use. 

6 We do hereby agree to correspond with 
each other in mutual confidence, with mutual 
desires for each other's benefit and recreation ; 
promising mutually to reprove and admonish 
each other with Christian faithfulness, in the Spi- 
rit of meekness : — further, we agree to avoid all 
direct or indirect allusion to each other's attain- 
ments in our Christian calling, unless it be done 
with a view to exalt in each other a deeper sense 
of our obligations, and to point out the necessi- 
ty of showing it forth by a more devoted life to 
the service of God } reminding one another al- 



MRS. COOPER. 47 

ways, that where much is given, much is requir- 
ed.' 

I could not have penned an agreement more 
to my own satisfaction : but this 1 have to re- 
mark ; I may not at all times feel sincerely dis- 
posed to write on religious subjects — to confine 
letters to this may prove a temptation to express 
what you do not feel, — this would be hypocrisy. 
I may, as I am disposed, write my own reflec- 
tions on various moral points, or remark some- 
thing in the course of my reading ; at the same 
time, I agree to every part of the above, and would 
by no means exclude that subject which most con- 
cerns us. Tell me, with the candour which will 
always pervade our letters, what you think of 
this, and whether you fully coincide with me ? 
I make a point after I have been reading, to run 
over the subject in my own mind, and endeavour 
to reflect upon such parts as appear particularly 
worthy of consideration, comparing the senti- 
ments of the author with my own — by this me- 
thod I hope to derive more good from reading a 
little, and digesting that little, than I should do 
from reading thrice the quantity, without think- 
ing of it afterwards. I know you adopt this 
plan : your reflections would therefore greatly 
please me, and perhaps be impressed more on 
your own mind by the communication. I be- 
lieve, my dear Joseph, we are as closely united 
in affection as by relative ties ; therefore, as you 
observe, let us be faithful to reprove each other, 
and constant in writing. If we can by this means 
promote each other's spiritual advancement, we 
shall have reason to consider the talent improv- 
ed. Let us have an intimate knowledge of eack 



DIARY OF 



other, and do every thing to strengthen an affec- 
tion that ought to subsist in full vigour between 
two so nearly allied. 

Believe me, my dear Brother, Your's truly, 

M. HANSON. 5 ' 



[The following letter, which is a part of the 
correspondence with her brother already men- 
tioned, contains many good sentiments; and 
some which are not of ordinary occurrence : it 
marks, at the same time, the progress of reli- 
gious conviction in her mind, and how seriously 
she was then in the pursuit of that, in which she 
afterwards found solid happiness.] 

Lower Mall, Jan. 20, 1807. 
Ci My dear Joseph, 
I am convinced my letters have been general- 
ly very deficient in noticing the remarks of my 
correspondent ; the mode you suggest will prove 
much more colloquial as well as productive of 
materials : it had never occurred to me how 
much my letters had failed in this respect. Be 
as candid in noticing every thing else that re- 
quires an alteration, whether it respects discourse 
or conduct, though I much fear that, as our op- 
portunities of seeing each other are so rare, the 
intercourse necessary for reproof will but seldom 
occur ; this I regret, for my proud spirit would 
bear reproof administered with your wonted 
faithfulness and love Oh ! it would bear it 
much better from you than from any one ; sell- 



MRS. COOPER. 49 

will and self-love so often obscure our better 
judgment, and thereby lead us into the mazes of 
error, that could the observing eye of a Chris- 
tian friend be near, and just then remind us of 
the demands of Christianity upon our hearts, 
and the humility it inculcates and enforces ; 
would not this check the progress of those mo- 
ral vices upon our hearts ? I sometimes think it 
would. But, my dear Joseph, if the friend were 
not near, there is a consideration of far greater 
importance ; the eye of infinite purity ever be- 
holds us ! were this consideration oftener pre- 
sent to our minds, what a check would it be to 
the arrogance and pride of the heart. For my 
own part I feel the difficulty so immensely great, 
to maintain in my mind that sense of religion 
in any degree which the Christian must feel so as 
to influence his thoughts, words, and actions, 
that that character seems a wonder in creation. 
To persevere to the end, considering the temp- 
tations from within and without, is a marvellous 
proof of the efficacy of divine grace. No won- 
der so many turn back ; and yet when we re- 
flect on the immense importance of preparing 
for a never-ending state of being, how great the 
delusion seems, to think of any thing occupying 
and absorbing the thoughts of creatures on the 
very verge of perdition. It is consolatory to 
the mind, my dear Brother, amidst these reflec- 
tions, that our attainment of eternal life does 
not depend on ourselves alone : That Grace , 
that has been implanted in the hearts of thou- 
sands now in glory, and had brought forth fruits 
to the praise of God, may yet be had of him, 

E 



&0 DIARY OP 

* whom to know is wisdom, whom to fear is rec- 
titude, whom to love is happiness.' 

It is the hope of victory that animates sol- 
diers in battle ; they bear temporary privations 
and numerous hardships, in prospect of the glo- 
ry accruing from conquest ; and yet how short- 
lived is that compared with the crown of glory 
for which I trust you and I, my dear Brother, 
will fight manfully; it is for an incorruptible 
crown, one which we shall wear for ever. 

I love retirement, and would scrupulously 
avoid acquaintance with the world ; for to keep in 
tolerable humour with it, it is necessary to know 
but little of it, and to think of the most virtu- 
ous of our acquaintance; for when one surveys 
the characters of people in general, and observes 
the dissimulation pervading most of them, it is 
difficult to preserve that spirit of benevolence 
that ought never to be damped. You tell me 
you have purchased freedom from control and 
restraint at the price of additional cares and 
anxieties. In reviewing the past, its evils usual- 
ly diminish in our apprehensions, while we feel 
the present in their full force. You will find the 
habitual effects of your employing leisure time 
in the pursuit of knowledge and Christian vir- 
tues. How desirable to feel the inclination ! 
press forward, my dear Brother, and shine like 
a candle in a dark place ; you are in a new 
state of trial, sufficient grace for every day is 
promised you ; only sincerely ask, and you will 
surely receive. 



MRS. COOPER. 51 

There is something truly delightful in that 
freedom true love ever inspires, in the commu- 
nication of one's inmost thoughts : we were for- 
med social beings, and I think the communion 
of saints, as expressed in the Creed, must be a 
mean of accelerating and enlivening the affec- 
tions, and inspiring love and zeal to the Supreme 
Being. I can freely think aloud to you, my dear 
Joseph, for I greatly hope our correspondence 
will prove a mean of my advancing in that life 
divine after which I sometimes pant. 

I hope it will be convenient to you to write 
soon ; never apologize for any but short letters ; 
none but such fatigue me. 
Believe me 

Your most affectionate Sister, 

MARY HANSON." 



[Early in the year 1809 ? Miss Hanson began 
to attend the preaching among the Methodists. 
The first preachers she heard were Dr. Coke, 
and Dr. Clarke. From this period religion be- 
came the one great business of her life, and she, 
in a more especial manner was engaged in doing 
good to her fellow -creatures ; in visiting and 
relieving the poor and distressed, whom she en- 
deavoured to instruct by reading the scriptures 
to them, praying with and speaking to them of 
spiritual things, and of the eternal world. But 
her own diary is her most faithful biographer ; 
and by it the reader will perceive that she now 
began to take a very different view of religion 



52 DIARY OF 

to what she had ever done before. She consid- 
ered it no longer as a system of opinions and 
moral practice merely, but as a work in the heart, 
or in other words, the life of God in the soul 
of man; which, when once introduced, would 
necessarily manifest itself in a full conformity to 
his will and ivord, in all her passions, tempers, 
affections, and conduct. On this important 
subject she thus speaks :] — 

July 2, 1809- 
i6 For the last two months my attention and 
reading has been much confined to theology : 
two sermons, one by Dr. Adam Clarke, and the 
other by Dr. Coke, preached at the Methodist 
chapel here, roused my inquiry as to the pecu- 
liar sentiments of that people. 

Those sermons have made a deep impression 
on my mind ; the first showed me, in a manner 
I was not aware of, the connexion of reason and 
religion, how far they were in union with each 
other, where the one left us, the other took us 
up, and introduced us to the immortality of glo- 
ry ; the other sermon gave a view of religion 
in the soul, of the inhabitation of the Spirit of 
God ; I was roused ; there was a something in 
their mode of explaining Scripture, of enforcing 
the immense importance of religion, of proving 
the vanity of sublunary things, and the sublime 
tendency of religion in exalting the soul, and 
making it aspire after a likeness to God, that 
was new to me — I was excited to more exertion ; 
and from reading the life of the Rev. Mr. Fletch- 
er, one of the Wesleyans' bright ornaments $ I 



MRS. COOPER. 55 

was introduced to a character that filled my soul 
with reverence, delight, and an> aspiration after 
that grace which made him what he was. Some 
of his works were lent to me, and all I read con- 
firmed me in an opinion of the soundness of 
their scriptural views. I never embraced the 
doctrines of Calvin, but when I viewed the 
scurrility, the intemperance in controversy, of 
some who are called by his name, and compared 
ah this with the Christian meekness of Wesley, 
and his amiable advocate FletcBer, I was con- 
vinced of the goodness of the cause. I saw al- 
so that their doctrines, while they ensured an 
entire reliance on Christ for justification, de- 
manded an evidence of that by aspiring after 
holiness of heart and life; and maintained that 
it is by the fruits of faith, that faith will be judg- 
ed of at the day of judgment. 

The general non- conformity of that sect to 
the world, their zeal in the promotion of vital, 
practical godliness, as far as I can judge, both 
from their principles and practice, proclaim 
them the followers of the Lamb. I rejoice in 
their introduction to H — , and the pros- 
perity which apparently attends their labours. 
On the Monday evening I go and hear the same 
truths applied to the hearts and understandings 
of all present ; I hear them, I hope, with in- 
creasing profit. I have too long rested in an 
admiration of sermons as compositions. Lured 
by imagination and eloquence, I have been 
charmed , but, alas ! my heart has remained 
careless, and too much disposed to regard reli- 
gion as a general thing, without applying it to. 



1*4, diary or 

ray own heart : may I henceforward hear as 
for eternity! O! how much is at stake ; and 
why do I live, if the salvation of my soul 
be neglected ? When this frail tabernacle of clay 
shall be dissolved, which it soon must be, the 
soul will have burst its fetters, and know an ex- 
istence of endless wo or happiness. My lot in 
life is then but of little consequence, for the 
stage is but short on which we act." 



[Being about to accompany the family on a 
visit to Margate; she wrote as follows:] — 

August 13, 1809. 
" For a while then I am about to leave thee, 

my dear peaceful H , the delights of calm 

reflection and solitude, which, through the 
goodness of my Creator, I have experienced in 
this my own room, make me almost disposed 
to think happiness local. I go, and shall wit- 
ness the whirl of fashion, and the various expe- 
dients fallen man devises for filling up that va- 
cuum, that search after comfort, to which every 
breast is a prey. I have experienced the vanity 
and unsatisfying nature of its enjoyments. The 
pearl of great price is the jewel I pant to obtain, 
to have an evidence within my own soul, that 
tiie spirit which by nature is depraved, is renew- 
ed by grace; that my judgment and affections 
are purified from sin, and that the paramount de- 
sire of my heart is to live to the glory of my God. 
Well then, what is change of place tome ? I cannot 



MRS. COOPER. >7 

go where my God is not : he pervades every 
place : His spirit is near to those that seek him 3 
and the soul that has felt and enjoyed sweet com- 
munion with him cannot be absorbed and satis- 
fied by the vain and trifling pleasures this world 
offers. 

As the means of grace are very various at 
Margate, I trust I shall be able, in simplicity 
of heart, to obtain much good from them. O 
that the critical spirit which has so long haun- 
ted me, and robbed me of the benefit the hum- 
ble follower enjoys, may leave me. I go not 
to hear fine compositions, but to hear the word 
of God faithfully explained 5 and to prove my 
own experience by the unerring standard of 
Scripture. I hope to enjoy the delights of med- 
itation and reading, by the sea shore 5 and, ere 
the bustle of the day approaches, to rise early 
and seek God in his works, and ponder over his 
ways. O that I could live more under the im- 
pression of the eternal world that awaits me, 
the judgment that will come, when every man 
will be judged according to his works. Death 
will be decisive to my soul, and ' dangers stand 
thick through all the ground to push us to the 
tomb.' O my soul, be not satisfied till thou hast 
evidence of acceptance with God 3 till thy 
worldly and corrupt affections are renewed; till 
thou have resigned thyself entirely to God, and 
every wish and desire be subservient to him ! 

To shine as a light in the world, this is the 
Christian's object ; to do good to his fellow 
creatures, to strive by every mean to do good 
to their souls, to visit the sick, and comfort 



56 ©IARt OF 

those who are cast down. God can give strength 
to the weak, and he does it that his power may 
be made manifest. One instance of his good- 
ness in blessing feeble means, 1 would acknow- 
ledge in the happy death of a dear child who 
went to the Sunday school ; those hymns which 
I took so much delight in teaching her, consoled 
her amidst her pain rid death. I thank jGod, 
and would receive this as an encouragement to 
future and more unwearied exertion. I go, not 
knowing I shall ever return 3 but I trust I can 
lay my hand on my heart, and say, My trust 
and dependence for this life and eternal salva- 
tion, is on Christ, who died to redeem a fal- 
len world ; and who is near to all who call upon 
him. 

O, for faith to trust in that word which can 
introduce heaven into the soul, even in the tu- 
multuous ocean of life I 

Margate, August 16, 1809. 

After a most delightful passage of nine hours 
and a half, arrived safe at Margate 5 every thing 
both health and company, conspired to render 
it agreeable. 

The appearance of the town pleases me much, 
and I already anticipate much pleasure, more 
particulaly as there are such various means of 
grace. I hope to have my mind kept free for 
the reception of divine truth, that the gaiety I 
shall witness, may not draw my heart aside, and 
induce me once again to cull the flowers of 
pleasure 5 which, by the fascination of their ap- 
pearance, lure the unwary. 



MRS. COOPER. (,7 

The noble ocean, on which the grandeur of 
the Deity is marked in such large characters, 
will be the object I shall most delight to contem- 
plate ; to say, ' My Father made it all.' O the 
exquisite sensation arising from such an appli- 
cation ! 

August 17, 1809. 
Had a most delightful ride to Ramsgate, 
through Kingsgate and Broadstairs ; with the 
first of these places I am charmed ; there is 
great elegance in the appearance of the town 
from the pier; and as to that beautiful harbour, 
it delights and astonishes me more than any hu- 
man construction I have ever seen : the sea 
from thence is a most magnificent spectacle. — 
The country through which we rode is highly 
cultivated, and the bounties of harvest are just 
ready to be poured into the lap of ungrateful 
man ; how beneficent is the Creator to the 
whole human race! how seldom is his hand ac- 
knowledged; He who should be the first in ev- 
ery man's thoughts ! Bountiful Creator, how 
art thou slighted, and thy benevolence insulted 
by its abuse ! Heard a very good preacher at 
Lady Huntingdon's chapel ; it was well attend- 
ed. For nearly two hours I enjoyed the light- 
ning this evening ; I become more enchanted 
with the terrible and sublime in nature. To 
gaze upon the ethereal flash as it'bursts from the 
bosom of the dark thunder cloud, has an effect 
upon my mind with which I would not part for 
the finest show of art. It was not in the direc- 
tion of the sea, or my admiration would have 



58 DIARY OF 

been two-fold : whence this delight, but from 
the power such spectacles have of raising my 
soul to the Supreme Being ; of making me as- 
pire after an union with him who is thus terrible 
in nature ; it excites me to anticipate that day 
when the lightnings of his wrath shall strike the 
devoted heads of those who have neglected 
him ; when every element will do its part to ex- 
cite the general conflagration ; when an inter- 
est in the Saviour will secure me an admission 
into the paradise of God. For such a crown 
of glory ; O why should I loiter, why should the 
flintiness of the path make me look aside for the 
broad road of pleasure, in which thousands 
smoothly walk to the edge of the precipice ; 
and unless arrested by the power of God, plunge 
headlong into eternal darkness ! 

August 18. 
Rose this morning at six o'clock, walked as 
far as Newgate on the Cliff; thence we de- 
scended to the sands. I particularly admire the 
cliffs about this place ; they are beautifully 
bleached and battered by the waves. A most 
profound stillness reigned; not even the mur- 
mur of the sea broke the silence ; nothing, save 
the fluttering of a little bird, on whose solitude 
I had intruded; it is in such a silence the 
soul delights to expand ; and, as it were, burst 
the fetters which confine it, when in commerce 
with the world. With mingled delight and rev- 
erence I view our sea-girt shore, and those beau- 
teous cliffs which have so long defied the power 



MRS. COOPER. JO 

and malice of our enemies. I know not why ; 
perhaps I have now a greater power of enjoy- 
ment; but they appear to me more charming 
than any thing I have seen. 

This evening walked half way to Kingsgate ; 
it was very retired, which consequently added 
to my enjoyment : there is one eminence which 
commands a very lovely view of Margate and 
North-Down. The clearness and serenity of 
the evening conspired to heighten the beauty of 
the scene; added to which, the corn in sheaves, 
and the thankfulness with which my heart dilat- 
ed in viewing the treasures of Providence, ren- 
dered the whole increasingly delightful. Othat 
men would praise the Lord for his goodness ! 
c Ye harvests, wave to him.' 

The accounts I had were so unfavourable, I 
feel astonished at the beauties of Margate : the 
country which I have seen is as rich and lovely as 
I ever saw ; perhaps, indeed, few have hearts 
so susceptible of the beauties of nature. ' Not 
a cloud imbibes the setting sun's effulgence, not 
a strain from all the tenants of the warbling 
shade ascends, from which my bosom cannot 
partake fresh pleasure unreproved.' From this 
honeyed store, ten thousand enjoyments have ho- 
vered over my path, and to my capability of 
deriving reflections from the objects which sur- 
round me, I am indebted for a local repository 
of comfort. I thank God that retirement and 
exemption from gaiety, have produced this good. 
On our return, about eight o'clock, we must 
needs peep atthe gay Babel, andfeel bestir ; the 
town was all light and bustle; the libraries were 



§0 DIARY OP 

crammed full with gay flutterers, dressed as for 
an assembly ; the rooms elegantly lighted, and 
all, all vanity; i a world without souls? My 
soul, come not thou into their secret, lest I should 
practically forget that 1 have a soul ; and an im- 
mortal one ; to save which, I must watch and 
strive against temptation ; scenes of vanity and 
dissipation must be avoided ; there is enough 
within to draw thee from God : O then avoid 
outward temptations ; go not under pretence of 
moralizing on its vanity : the experiment is dan- 
gerous.- — God and mammon can never be recon- 
ciled, 

August 19, 1809. 

After a pleasant walk of two hours, returned 
home quite refreshed and comfortable. On en- 
tering the room I found my dear mother bathed 
in tears, with a letter before her, containing an 
account of brother William's sudden attack of 
a most violent fever ; the means prescribed by 
Mr. Pearson prove it to be highly putrid ; he 

was considered when B wrote, rather out 

of danger 5 the only alleviation we could have 
under such circumstances. O my God ! if my 
dear brother still live, grant that this sickness 
may not be unto death, but for his soul's health ! 
Vigorous as his health has been, yet the shafts 
of death are as likely to wound him as the more 
sickly. 

All these circumstances should prove as in- 
centives to my diligence in the divine life. No- 
thing can secure me from the sudden and un- 
warned approach of death \ he ; with his fatal 



MRS. COOPER. 61 

scythe, may mow down (one after another) ev- 
ery dear earthly comfort 1 possess. God alone 
is unchangeable, and the source of comfort; he 
pours balm into the wounded spirit ; and bids 
it seek its treasures in those blessed regions, 
where bliss is complete and inexhaustible. 

August 23, 1809. 

Through the goodness of God, my dear bro- 
ther William is better. I have enjoyed some 
sweet seasons of abstraction from the world on 
Sunday, and since. What is my object as a 
Christian ? It is to increase in faith, and in con- 
formity to the image of God ; to have that 
stamped on my soul, and to feel the presence of 
God diffuse itself through my heart and my judg- 
ment. Then I am not of the world ; my views, 
pleasures, and pursuits must be different ; they 
are only dead fish that float down the stream, I 
must swim against it. If the world hate you, 
marvel not \ they laugh and flutter for a day ? 
and perish. The Christian strives and fights for 
a day, and his toil and labour are ended $ ever- 
lasting rest and perfect peace are his reward for 
ever. O glorious prospect ! 

That glorious Being who created this lower 
world, who by his word formed all those beaute- 
ous scenes in creation, which now ravish my eyes, 
made all those for man ! what then will the vi- 
sions of eternal bliss be for the redeemed ? when 
every faculty of the soul will be in full vigour and 
purity, when God will be all in all. How many 
have I read of in history who have waded 
through scenes of blood, who have sacrificed 



6£ DIARY OF 

every present pleasure and enjoyment, and 
thought nothing too much, while a hope or 
chance remained of having an earthly crown 
placed on their heads ; and this with a proba- 
bility of very soon falling a sacrifice to their own 
ambition. 

Christian, be ashamed of thy supineness ; be 
not satisfied with the husks of this world, while 
there is heavenly manna within thy reach : they 
sought a corruptible crown ; thou hast offered to 
thee an incorruptible one. Be assured, how- 
ever hard the struggle against sin, yet having 
attained the conquest, so peaceful a serenity 
shall be diffused through thy soul, as shall re- 
pay all the toil and labour. A Christian must 
fight the good fight of faith. 

Heard this evening a most animating sermon 
from Mr. Liefchild, < For we shall see him as he 
is.' His descriptions were so lively, that I al- 
most thought he had had a peep at the glories 
of the eternal world. O vain transitory world, 
what are thy pleasures ? fleeting as a shadow. 

I pant for everlasting bliss, for a state of hap- 
piness which neither knows interruption nor 
end. 

August 28, 1809. 
I exceedingly enjoyed the services of yester- 
day ; it was a sabbath of delight to my soul ; I 
was three times at the Methodist chapel, where 
I heard a young man of promising talents, ap- 
pointed by the Conference, for the ensuing year. 
In the morning his sermon was on prayer; 
< The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous 



MRS. COOPER. 63 

man availeth much : ? he showed its advantages 
in prosperity $ how the blessings of Providence 
were doubly enjoyed by a sense of the goodness 
of the benefactor ; the mind kept humble, and 
from vaunting itself against those who are in a 
lower situation, from a grateful acknowledg- 
ment to the Divine Being 5 that it is from his 
hand alone such blessings are bestowed : and 
that temporal superiority is alone from him who 
dispenses his gifts. I note this particularly, be- 
cause prosperity appears to me a great trial to 
the Christian 5 when surrounded by present 
good, in possession of health, wealth, and friends, 
O how prone to say, ' Soul, take thine ease ;' 
while sailing on a smooth sea, the anticipation 
of the harbour is not half so delightful as when 
tossed on the angry billows ; then the sight of 
port, how does it animate and refresh 5 and yet, 
as good Mr. Day says, what base ingratitude is 
it, to make those very blessings our Creator bes- 
tows upon us, the means of forgetting him ; and 
by an abuse of the good things of this life to des- 
troy our souls. 

I am now in possession of health and every 
temporal blessing : ought I not particularly to 
devote myself to that God who has made me a 
recipient of such various and unmerited bles- 
sings r The only return, the only tribute of gra- 
titude I can render to thee, thouGod of love, is, 
to give up my heart, all I have and am, to thy 
service : to answer the great end of my exist- 
ence, by a continual acknowledgment of that 
goodness which brought me into being and sus- 
tains it ) but above all, for a hope of eternal life 



64 DIARY OP 

through the great atoning Sacrifice. His pre- 
cious death and resurrection, is the life of all my 
hopes, all my desires, to repose in the arms of 
his mercy and to be with him for ever. O un- 
speakable love ! While I can hear with so much 
advantage as I did yesterday, I shall go to the 
Methodist chapel; there is a plainness and sim- 
plicity in the appearance of the chapel and peo- 
ple, which suit my mind better than Zion chapel. 
Besides, there is a something in their mode of 
preaching which I always find profitable; there 
is a view of eternity in their addresses to the Dei- 
ty, which rouses and fixes my attention. I do 
most entirely agree with the sentiments of that 
people. John Wesley's opinions accord with 
those I long since formed from reading the Bi- 
ble. I seem to catch the flame, the heavenly 
flame which burns among them ; their noncon- 
formity to the world, and their gradual assimi- 
lation to the divine nature, the happy assurance 
so many among them have. O it is religion in 
its power, in its peaceful and holy effects. 

In the afternoon of yesterday was the prayer- 
meeting. In the evening the same young man 
displayed considerable ability in discoursing 
from 1 Cor. i. 23. ' We preach Christ crucified.' 
His sermon contained a summary of those doc- 
trines he intended to deliver among that people ; 
most ably he defended the divinity of our Lord. 
I enjoyed uncommon peace and liveliness of 
mind yesterday; prayer instead of a wariness, 
was a delight to me. 

O Christianity, thou wast ushered into the 
world, as < Peace and goodwill to man;' and so 



MRS. COOPER. G5 

liiou art and ever wilt be to those who receive 
thy glorious truths in meekness, with a practi- 
cal desire of conforming the soul to the divine 
image. Those who advance in grace will ad- 
vance in happiness; the more this world is sub- 
dued, the brighter, the more glorious, will be the 
anticipation of that state which God has appoint- 
ed as the resting-place for all his people. 

September 1, 1809. 

On Monday had a very delightful ride to Min- 
ster 5 it is surrounded by many trees, and is 
altogether picturesque and beautiful. 

The church is a very ancient structure ; and 
the church-yard, which is very large, contains 
but few graves. How different to the crowded 
cemeteries about London ! I like to visit every 
repository of the dead where I go ; no mean 
surely should be neglected to familiarize that so- 
lemn certain event, which will soon arrive. — 
From an eminence about a mile from Minster, 
I had a view of the whole island of Thanet ; the 
sea girds a great part of it ; at one point is seen 
the Downs, in which the vessels look like a for- 
est ; to the right of that is a very fine cultivated 
land view; it reminded me much of Portsdown. 

On our return we rode through Biichington : 
we visited its church-yard, a favourite place of 
my brother Joseph's. I saw three beautiful epi- 
taphs which I intend to go purposely to copy. — 
Here is a very fine view of the Reculvers. My 
mind was just in a frame to enjoy the beauties of 
nature, and to adopt the language of Cowper, 
6 My Father made them all ;' my eyes were full 
f2 



$6 DIARY OF 

of tears when I thought of this blessed Relation. 
On Tuesday evening we rode through St. 
Peter's to broadstairs; then to part of the 
Ramsgate road, where we had a very distinct 
view of the coast of France, Pegwell bay, and 
the ships in its harbour. The sun set in cloud- 
less splendour just behind St. Peter's church. 
We returned through Kingsgate, having passed 
the fore-land lighthouse, just then lighted up. — 
It is a lovely village; its beauty was much 
heightened by the last faint gleam of the setting 
sun upon its various ruins. I find much to inter- 
est me in this island. 

Wednesday morning we walked on the sands, 
visited some of the caverns ; scenes rude and 
wild 5 we much enjoyed it ; sitting at the foot of 
one of the cliffs, we listened to the murmuring 
of the flowing tide. 

Such scenes are favourable to abstraction of 
mind. How is the soul to be pitied, which in such 
scenes does not recognize the finger of God f 
which does not seek a friend in him who has 
such boundless power. The 38th chapter of Job, 
how appropriate to such scenes. 

In the evening brother B -n and I walked 

on the fort between ten and eleven. The light- 
ning had just ceased ; but the clouds, full of elec- 
tricity, hung over the deep, most sublimely. — 
Over our heads the stars were shining in un- 
clouded lustre. In the eastern hemisphere was 
the moon reposing on clouds of the darkest hue, 
whose summits were tipped with glowing light ; 
again she awoke from her sleep, and shed her 
trembling beams on the boundless ocean. Such 



MRS. COOPER. G7 

scenes delight and ravish my eyes above all this 
world aiibrds ; they raise my thoughts to him, 
who by a word brought all this immensity into 
existence. l Lord, what is man ?' How vain 
are all the pomps of this our world. I would 
soar to those regions where my soul would be 
satisfied by a view oi him who, though infinite, 
views with delight the spirit who seeks his fa- 
vour. 

Sept. S, IS09. 
There is certainly more real pleasure and so- 
lid satisfaction in the fulfilment of domestic plans 
of usefulness, than are to be found in the varie- 
ties of a new place and new scenes : these soon 
cease to charm ; and the want of full occupation 
and means of being actively useful, press on my 
mind. I do not lie down at night with the pleas- 
ing reflection that I have imparted comfort to 
the aged by being e} r es to them, and reading ta 
them a portion of that word which is so much 
their support \ nor can I reflect on having en- 
deavoured to speak a word for religion to the 
careless poor, &c. I seem almost to live in vain,, 
and long for the return of that solid satisfaction 
which an endeavour at usefulness inspires. 

I have spent tv o evenings at the bathing-rooms, 
very pleasantly The gallery which overlooks 
the sea is delightful. On one evening I saw the 
phosphoric illumination of the waves. I have 
occasionally met with two very sensible women 
there ; one an officer's widow, young and lively ; 
the other appears about thirty, single and inva- 
lid : with the latter I had a good deal of serious 



DIARY OF 

she seems generally impressed 
with the importance of religion ; and although 
not abstracted from the gaieties of life, has but 
little relish for them. Her judgment seems more 
powerful than her resolution. I do indeed feel 
for such characters, who, whilst halting betwixt 
two opinions, find enjoyment in neither ; they 
feel the aching void within : the world denies 
them comforts 5 Heaven offers it, but they re- 
fuse. 

Sept. 15, 1809- 

Walked to North Down, my favourite vil- 
lage $ it unites the beauties of landscape and sea- 
views, and contains many very pretty farm-hous- 
es. 

From thence we crossed the fields to the Wal- 
pole-wreck : walked for some distance on the 
cliff, and then descended to the sands, which we 
found remarkably firm. The tide was fast com- 
ing in : the azure sky reflected a most lovely 
peacock hue on the sea. The flocks of ocean 
were abroad ; we ran towards them, and kissed 
them with our feet. 

The cliffs in that part are strikingly wild ; and 
the deep solitude which there reigned among the 
caverns, added to the beauty of the marine pro- 
ductions, produced in us almost an ecstacy. In 
such scences lam an enthusiast, and hardly know 
what other circumstances could produce equal 
rapture. 

The solemn silence which pervaded those 
scenes, rude and wild, very much added to the 
interest they excited in my mind. 



MRS. COOPER. 69 

Sept 16, 1809. 

This day another year is added to my mor- 
tal existence. Has the past year added any im- 
provement to the preceding ones ? It demands 
self-recollection. How large the catalogue of 
mercies ; of divine favours ! — Where shall i be- 
gin to speak of goodness so boundless ? No 
chasm made among my earthly friends ; my 
dear parents still spared ; yet in possession of 
earthly abundance : still in the enjoyment of 
health, reason, and all other faculties. My h?art 
alone is the offering I can make to God for so 
many favours. I hope I do record it with hum- 
ble gratitude, that, for the last six months, my 
affections have been more given to God and reli- 
gion than the preceding six months \ that I 
have been more alive to the requirements of 
Christianity upon my heart : I have found more 
delight in devotion, and greater desires after 
conformity to the Divine linage ; in short, reli- 
gion has appeared to me the one thing needful ; 
and the attainment of eternal glory the grand 
end of my existence. 

I feel daily more and more the need of watch- 
fulness, and the influence of the Spirit to keep 
alive my good desires and resolutions $ for I 
know my heart is deceitful and the world allur- 
ing. — Experience has shown me, that one great 
cause of religious declension is a carelessness in 
devotion, and neglect of reading the scriptures ; 
hence I would have set seasons for both, and 
conscientiously observe them : also attend punc- 
tually, and as frequently as circumstances will ad- 
mit, preaching in the week evenings j 1 have 



DIARr OP 



found the benefit of this. The worldly are ve* 
ry eager in the pursuit of their pleasures ; plea- 
sures which produce satiety — shall I then, who 
am a probationer for heavenly pleasures, be slow 
in seeking them — and shall I suffer every little 
trifle to rob me of them ? O, forbid it ! It is not 
an earthly shadow, but an eternal substance I 
seek after. It demands my constant attention, 
my most fervent devotions. 

Let not the universal carelessness which pre- 
vails about unseen things, deter me. Our Lord 
foretold this : he says, the gate is strait, and but 
few enter it ; but he also forewarns me of that 
place where the worm never dies. 

I do record it, on this anniversary of my 
birth, that I desire, more devotedly than I ever 
have done to give myself up, all I have and am, 
to my God ; to press forward in the divine life, 
and to aim at that perfection which is the glory 
and happiness of the saints. These are my 
birth-day hopes and resolutions ; and my hand- 
writing will witness against me if I swerve from 
these paths of religion and peace. 

I hope I have gained something from observa- 
tion the past year. I live but to little purpose 
if experience do not teach me ; and if the com- 
mission of error in one instance do not deter me 
from the same, when a similar occasion offers. 

I made some-progress in history last winter : the 
ensuing one, I purpose reading either Hume's 
or Rupurs History of England : and yet, alas ! 
how much time is taken up with trifles : for in- 
stance, I sit down to work, I loiter; I perhaps 
read in the interim, or look off: i wish to cor- 



MRS. COOPER. 71 

rect this, and when I return home to have more 
entire order in my pursuits ; to husband time, as 
that for which I must give account. — May the 
succeeding year, if I live to complete it, find me 
more decidedly devoted to God ; less earthly- 
minded, and abounding more in good works. — 
Mark this, religion is a progressive work, no 
standing still ; either on the advance or on the 
decline — if it dwells in the soul, it will transform 
the nature, subdue evil, and be gradually assi- 
milating it to the Divine Image. 

1 have received a letter from my dear Mary 
Ann,* to-day ; my friendship for her olows with 
undiminished ardour. I thank God for the gift 
of such a friend. I hope we shall more and 
more stimulate and stir up each other to the 
pursuit of objects which are divine; and tore- 
sign our all entirely to our heavenly Father, 
who careth for those who seek his face. 

Sept. 17, 1609. 
I have heard three very excellent discourses 
from the venerable Mr. Bull, in consequence of 
a sudden illness of Mr. Lake : he officiated at 
Zion Chapel His sermon from Prov. ix. 5. 
had a reference to the Lord's Supper, which he 
afterwards administered in his own way. In the 
afternoon he preached from 1 Cor. i. 30. In the 
evening he was induced to choose for his text, 
Psalm xxiii. 4. in consequence of the death of a 
Mr. Atkinson, who the last Sunday was a hear- 
er in that Chapel. 

* Miss W. a pious young kidy ? one of her most inti- 
mate acquaintance?:" 



72 DIARY OF 

To hear such a Christian, who is on the verge 
of glory, on the tip-toe of heavenly expecta- 
tion ; to hear him discourse on death, Oh ! it is 
soothing and encouraging to the mind. He has 
given me a new wiew of the text ; by the meta- 
phor of a shadow how much consolation is im- 
plied ! ' As the Hebrew poets often availed them- 
selves of objects in nature to illustrate their 
meaning, so he supposed that the figure, The 
shadow of death, was borrowed from a very deep 
and dark valley, through which the brook Ce- 
dron passed. Through this valley our dear 
Saviour passed, in going to the garden of Geth- 
semane. The dark valley then is not death, but 
the shadow of it. The believer does not die 
at all : it is but the shadow of death. Conceive 
death in its most tremendous form ; yet, being a 
shadow, there is no real substantial reason for 
you to fear it : you walk through it, do not stand 
in it ; and the Shepherd is at the end of the val- 
ley to receive you. The rod signifies a <rook by 
which a shepherd may bring back a wandering 
sheep : it also implies afflictions and trials. They 
are generally attendant on death. By the staff is 
meant, that power by which God supports 
and comforts his people : by the rod of afflic- 
tion, and the statf of comfort, they safely pass 
through the valley, and reach the place of eter- 
nal repose.' J have imperfectly noted a few of 
the remarks which struck me. 

Oct. 2, 1809. 
I enjoyed my walk very much before break- 
fast \ the weather mild and peaceful ; quite a 



MRS. COOPER. 73 

contrast to what it has been for the last fort- 
night. Walked on my favourite Kingsgate 
road, as far as the mill-hill ; thence crossed the 
fields to Newgate, which 1 descended, and sat at 
the foot of the cliff for some time ; not a sound 
to break the deep repose ; the state of my mind 
accorded with it. 1 found much delight in that 
part of Baxter's Saints 1 Rest, in which he enfor- 
ces consideration as a chief help to heavenly 
contemplation. If the weather permit, I will 
repeat my early visits to that sacred spot : the 
time for my leaving them is near at hand. 

This evening there was a watch-night at the 
Methodist chapel ; the first time of my ever be- 
ing at one. It began at seven, and ended at 
half-past nine. It was a very solemn service. 
Mr. Cusworth preached, Mr. Williams deliver- 
ed an exhortation, and several of the society en- 
gaged in prayer. The brevity and uncertainty 
of life were chiefly dwelt upon, and the impor- 
tance of preparing for our latter end : the whole 
was conducted in a very serious and impressive 
manner. 

Oct. 5, 1809. 
Almost the whole of yesterday morning, from 
half-past six, I was strolling by the sea-side ? 
among cliffs and sands. I shall soon leave them, 
and that with much regret. My recollections 
of the two months I have spent here, must ever 
be pleasing to me $ and my heart now exults 
with praise to God that so much of my enjoy- 
ment has been derived from love to him and his 
works. Whenever I have sought retirement I 



74 DIARY OF 

have found it : hence the bustle and gaiety of 
the place have not offended me. I have chiefly 
attended at the Wesleyan chapel; and have 
been much pleased, and I hope profited by the 
preaching of Mr. Williams. He manifests great 
theological knowledge ; and his preaching is 
quite of an experimental cast. I do become in- 
creasingly attached to the Wesleyans : their 
preaching appears to me to combine more of 
the whole gospel than I have before heard : there 
is an earnestness in their addresses which tends 
to keep alive the flame of divine love in my heart, 
4o give me fervour in prayer, and enlighten my 
understanding of the scriptures. 

This morning we took a delightful walk with 
Joseph to a very rustic village called Nash ; sur- 
rounded by a great many trees, in the midst of 
which we discovered a mud-wall thatched cot- 
tage, the most rude of its kind I ever beheld ; 
every thing around it completed the picture. — 
I crept through the wicket gate, and was deter- 
mined to see the inside 5 where I found a good 
woman, who gave me a welcome peep at her 
little cot, in which every thing was very comfort- 
able. She had lived there thirty years, and has 
eight children now grown up. 

This evening I took a farewell evening walk 
in Hubbard's gallery ; a lovely star-light night : 
the sea rolled in sublimely 5 rather phosphoric. 
I had a very pleasing conversation with brother 
Joseph : we compared our occasional feelings of 
rapture in contemplating the works of God; 
surety of all earthly enjoyments the most sublime. 



MRS. GOOPER. lb 

pure, and refined. Nature is an exhaustless store 
of entertainment. 

Oct. G, 1809. 
Arose at dawn this morning to see Joseph 
off for London. The morning-star shone wit!) 
splendour ; while 

Aurora, daughter of the dawn. 

With rosy lustre purpled o'eF the lawn. 

The sun had just unbarred the portals of the East, 
when I hasted forth to enjoy his splendour. 
Agreeably to my intention yesterday, I visited the 
favourite field of my dear brother Joseph : it was 
so lovely that I lingered for a while, contemplat- 
ing the enchanting effects of a morning sun laying 
his golden beams on woods, fields, and streams. 
Ah ! what dcr the slothful lose. 1 had my 
second collection of poetry, in which 1 found 
parts highly adapted to enhance my enjoyment 
of the scene ; some of the Psalms I read with 
peculiar delight ; particularly those three which 
begin * The Lord reigneth. 5 — 1 then proceeded 
to Dandelion ; the gardens are pretty, and re- 
freshing to the sight. The larks, as I walked, 
sang their morning song sweetly : every thing 
was so lovely, that, though the distance was great, 
I found no fatigue : my heart was, indeed, up- 
lifted to nature's God, from whom I derived 
springs of comfort and exultation. O blessed 
seasons ! in which 1 have wandered forth, aloue, 
and found my solitude more sweet, more anima- 
ting than could be produced by all the artificial 
means the world offers. 



76 DIARY OF 

I walked again from eleven to two, and explo- 
red nearly the whole of North down : it is re- 
markably shady; and the hedges in the lanes par- 
ticularly luxuriant : the cottages and farm-houses 
are strikingly picturesque. As I walked, I read 
a greav part of the second volume of Mrs. West's 
Letters; in which, as in the first, she displays 
great acuteneso of observation, and an uncom- 
mon sense of moral propriety. As to religion, 
she defends our establishment in all its parts ; 
and is, indeed, quite its eulogist ; seceding from 
it seems, indeed, a high crime and misdemean- 
our. But there appears to me a grand deficien- 
cy in her system ; while advocating a rational 
religion, she puts aside that vital experimental 
piety which is so manifest^ insisted on in the 
New Testament; and the fanaticism of a few 
misguided zealots has induced her to conclude 
all religious feeling to be enthusiasm. In this 
part she is very exceptionable, as also in her 
endeavour to unite the world and religion, 
which I must ever think incompatible. Notwith- 
standing this, she gives proof of having thought 
and read much on Christianity ; and some very 
good remarks are the result. 

I bade a long farewell to those sweet scenes 
on which I have often gazed with rapture. 

Oct. 10. 

We left Margate on the 7th, and reached 
Canterbury in the afternoon, where we met 
with a very welcome reception from our kind 
friends Mr. and Mrs. G . 

The country about Canterbury is morebeauti- 



MRS. COOPER. 7* 

fully pieturesqae than;any I have ever before seen* 
Before breakfast 1 went to see the Dane John, 
a mound of earth said to have been thrown up by 
the Danes in one night : — it has a circular walk 
to the top, which commands a fine view of the 
city and country ; near it are the ruins of an 
old castle : the fortifications are in this part in 
good preservation. The ruins of St. Augus- 
tine's monastery are a very fine object. After 
breakfast, took a country walk ; saw St. Mar- 
tin's Church, the oldest in England; remarka- 
ble only for its antiquity and situation. It was 
well I saw Margate first \ the country here is 
so much superior, that the comparison would 
not have been favourable ; yet I shall ever think 
of Margate, as having there enjoyed such heart* 
felt pleasure in her less lovely walks. 

Oct. 11,1809, 
I attended Cathedral service, and afterwards 
walked through the building. The antiquity of 
this church, its renown in history, excited inmy 
mind a peculiar interest. Its exterior is very 
grand. As it was erected in the darkest ages 
of popery, it contains many relics of its thral- 
dom. A hundred thousand pilgrims, from all 
parts of the world, in one year, paid their de- 
votions at the shrine of Thomas a Becket ! The 
stone steps they ascended, quite worn into a 
curve, appear to authenticate this. An altar was 
erected near the tomb of Ed ward the Black Prince, 
before which, mass, morning and evening, was 
offered up for the peace of his soul ! The step 
on which these devotees knelt is also worn i 
g2; 



78 DIARY OF 

hollows. I saw a confessional also : my heart 
rose with thankfulness to that God who has 
caused those days of darkness to cease. — There 
were two or three pieces of sculpture which ex- 
cited my admiration more than any I ever be- 
fore saw : one of Dean Wootton, in which he is 
represented as kneeling before an altar of the 
most beautiful stone-work : his posture is life, 
and the countenance is expressive to a wonder- 
ful degree, particularly the ears. Another, of 
the founder of Oxford University : there were 
two representations of him ; one of his appear- 
ance when in full health, stout and handsome ; 
below it, in the same posture, you see him as he 
was when he died, a mere skeleton, exquisitely 
executed. Above are twelve images of the 
apostles, and one of the same size representing 
Death : on the corresponding side is a figure of 
Time with his scythe. To discover all the 
beauties of this place would require several 
hours' inspection. The chair on which the kings 
of Kent were crowned is there ; and is said to 
be the greatest piece of antiquity in England : 
on it the archbishops are installed into their of- 
fice. The depredations of Cromwell are mani- 
fest in various places. 

1 ascended the belfry, two hundred and four- 
teen steps high : the prospect which the highest 
tower commands is too beautiful for description. 
The city, with its various ruins, added to the 
uncommon richness of the country; the river 
Stour beautifully meandering through the rich- 
est vales, and the distant view of the cliffs near 
Ramsgate, surpass description. 



MRS. COOrLK. ;& 

October 18, 1809. 
The remains of my darling nephew I have 
just seen committed to the cold and silent tomb. 
All that pertains to death is awfully impressive ; 
and if we go not beyond the eye of sense, it is 
overwhelming. Can the mortal part charm 
when the spirit has left it ? O no. Why is it 
then that the body, which must so soon turn to 
corruption, occupies so large a portion of our 
thoughts ? It is vain. The spirit which animated 
it cannot die, cannot see corruption : — hence 
those who live a life of sense, whose thoughts 
are occupied in decking this corruptible clay, 
have strangely lost the right perception oi 
things. How awful is our state, independent 
of revelation ! Of few days, and full of trou- 
ble. The flowers which to-day delight and 
ravish our eyes, to-morrow are cut down and 
withered. All on earth must say to corruption, 
Thou art my mother, and to the worm, Thou 
art my sister. Such is our destiny by nature. — 
But thou, my soul, hast higher hopes, and sub- 
limer expectations : thy immortal interests are, 
through grace, thy chief concern : thou hast 
been taught by the word of God, that though 
the outward tabernacle be dissolved, thou hast 
a building of God, a house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens. Joyful prospect ! Live 
but in the preparation for this, and death will 
lose its sting, the grave its terrors, and the 
world its charms. Well then, be not cast' down ; 
all on earth is changeable : there is no rest 
here : thou hast proved its insufficiency to im- 



80 DIARY OF 

part one moment's real solid satisfaction. But 
God is unchangeable ; his arms of mercy are 
ever open to receive those who seek him; his 
promises are as eternal as his nature. The 
only wisdom is to seek God, and to prepare to 
meet him. Remember, O my soul, that every 
day thou art called upon to remember thy God, 
to seek his favour, and to begin here that emr 
ploy which is the bliss of angels and glorified 
spirits. Religion, if it exist in the soul, must sub- 
due sin ; it must be manifested in every action 
of the life ; tempers must be sanctified, holy dis- 
positions implanted. These are the evidences 
of a state of grace ; it is this which makes the 
soul easy under all the afflictions of life; by the 
simple act of faith, the looking unto Jesus, these 
blessed effects will follow. This is the blessed 
union which subsists between Christ and his 
people : these are the evidences of the indwell- 
ing of the Holy Spirit, which can make the 
Christian joyous, happy, and even triumphant 
hi the anticipation of that event which I have 
this day witnessed. 

The silent tomb must be my last mortal abode : 
it may be very soon. The dear child, three 
clays before he died, was apparently in the bloom 
of health and beauty. Death, having received 
his commission, unbarred to him the gates of 
Paradise, and presented him as a trophy of the 
Redeemer's blood. And, O ! if when mortal 
paleness is on my cheek, glory be but in my 
soul : kind messenger, with all thy gloomy train, 
I will welcome thy approach, and hail thee as a 
friend* 



MRS. COOPER. 81 

Oct. 30, 1809. 

Once again I have the enjoyment of rny qui- 
et home. Mercy has surrounded me ever since 
I left it ; mercy now gladdens my heart, and 
makes me in some degree possess that peace 
which passeth understanding. Shall I ever 
leave those paths of religion on which I have 
entered ? Ever return to that world with which 
I am at variance ? Oh ! no. With the practice 
of religion is connected much enjoyment; in the 
experience of religion is found the peace and joy 
which fills and satisfies the immortal soul. It 
is only the Spirit of God which can satisfy the 
spirit of man: religion alone affords objects 
worthy of its regard. 

How many motives have I for constant pray- 
er, for daily importunity with God, that I may 
be kept in the paths of life and happiness ! For 
this end, I must continue to use those means 
which the Holy Spirit hath blessed to me. If I 
forsake God, I shall lose the light of his coun- 
tenance, bring bitterness on my soul, and dis- 
grace my profession. O blessed God ! I desire 
again to devote myself to thy service : I give 
thee my heart, and would entreat Thee to im- 
part a portion of thy Spirit, that every faculty 
of my soul may be renewed. 

Nov. 10. 
This morning the Wesleyan chapel was open- 
ed by Mr. JMoore ; and in the evening Dr. Clarke 
preached. The edification lhave found in that 
connexion, is a powerful motive for my embra- 
cing every opportunity of attending the minis- 
tration of God in that place. In truth, my 



SS DIARY OF 

views of religion have been so much enlarged 
and invigorated for the last eight months, that 
the prior knowledge I had of it, seems to me 
now, to have been more speculative than exper- 
imental, more notional than practical. 

Nov. 16 y 1809. 

The life of God in the soul can only be main- 
tained by constant watchfulness : it is vain to 
compromise with the world ; by so doing spirit- 
uality is banished. A well grounded peace with 
God can only be possessed by the heart that Jias 
entirely, without any reserve, given up all to God. 

The inestimable blessing of divine illumina- 
tion, the gift of the Holy Spirit, is only promi- 
sed to those that seek it. Perseverance is need- 
ful ; and when the infinite value of this gift is 
considered, surely the soul should possess itself 
with patience and diligent seeking till the divine 
breathing be communicated. I have always 
found the blessings of grace dispensed to me in 
proportion to my diligence in seeking them. — 
JMuch profit I have found by stated seasons of 
devotion, and devotional reading. This is, in- 
deed, great encouragement for me most diligent- 
ly and importunately to seek that sense of God's 
pardoning mercy which shall diffuse the peace 
which passeth understanding. Many have 
sweetly experienced this, and have given proof 
that they have obtained it by an entire renew- 
al of the soul ; this is the lost image of God re- 
stored. 

My confidence in God is greatly strengthen- 
ed. The world has lost all. its charms for me ; 



MRS. COOPER. 83 

and 'the pearl of great price' is what I most 
desire to possess : — to keep my heart with all 
diligence, to watch the first risings of sin, and 
to fear the quenching of the Holy Spirit — this 
be now my care and business. Religion de- 
mands my time, my talents, and my affections ; 
and I bless God I have no desire to make any 
reserve. I desire to be wholly the Lord's ; and 
to prove it by holiness in all manner of conver- 
sation. I must indeed daily pray and strive 
against pride, and warmth of temper : the first 
manifests itself when my favourite opinions are 
opposed. Here, indeed, a strict watch is neces- 
sary. I must avoid controversy in religion : 
and remember that acrimony and taking offence 
are great proofs that piety has not its due influ- 
ence on the heart. 

Nov. 29, 1809. 
Since my return from Margate I have made 
.scarcely any progress in my historical reading : 
the bent of my taste and inclinations has been 
so strongly towards theology and devotional 
books, that I have but little relish for trifling read- 
ing. My mind is now, I think, made up as to 
the scriptural nature and holy tendency of the 
doctrines Mr. Wesley embraced and enforced. 
I have been happy in the investigation ; and am 
most firmly persuaded that his view of Chris- 
tian perfection is at once the privilege and the 
happiness of the Christian ; an eminence which 
it is necessary to strive ajid pray to obtain. — - 
It is not for us to sit down in calm indifference, 
and wait for these influences of ihe Holy Spirit ; 



84 DIARY OF 

this blessing is only bestowed on those who be- 
lieve, and who earnestly pray and wait for this full 
redemption. Although I am not yet the happy 
possessor of it, I am greatly encouraged by that 
promise, Psalm cxlv. 12. ' He will fulfil the de- 
sire of them that fear him ; he also will hear 
their cry and will save them.' I must watch 
and pray, and live by faith on Jesus Christ, who 
hath said, ' Ask, and ye shall receive;' and 
while I do this in sincerity, I shall not be con- 
founded; for his promises are as immutable as 
his nature. 

To-morrow there will be a love-feast : I am 
permitted to attend. There seem difficulties in 
the way of my joining the society, or I certainly 
would; I owe much to their preaching; and 
this is a debt I hope still to increase. There 
is a simplicity of mind about them of which I 
desire to partake ; as a new-born babe to re- 
ceive the sincere milk of the word, that I may 
grow thereby. 

Dec. 2, 1809. 
Only blessed are they who have a present sal- 
vation ; who, with holy confidence, can call God, 
Abba Father : this blessed relation producing 
conformity to his will, and a supreme love to 
him and his ways. 

1 But while I seek and find thee not, 
8 No peace my wandering soul shall see.' 

For the last week I hope I have in sincerity 
waited on God in prayer, I believe I have ; nor 



MRS. COOPER, C> 

can I charge myself with indifference towards 
him. Yet, alas ! I am in bondage. Before I 
went to sleep one night, I asked myself; i Should 
Death present himself to me this night, have I a 
ground of confidence to ensure my peace at the 
summons ?' Alas ! no. Doubts prevailed. — 
Were I justified by faith, I feel assured that 
death would have no terrors in my apprehen- 
sion. Well, then, I must wait the coming of 
the Lord. Though he seem to tarry long, true 
and faithful is his word. Another source of 
grief I find in the want of spirituality of mind : 
when [ awake in the morning, my thoughts 
wander upon trifles — but, Oh ! how rarely do they 
fix themselves on God ; and rise in holy aspira- 
tions to his glorious name. Were God the su- 
preme, the only object of my love, would not my 
thoughts be of him, last at night, and first in the 
dawn of morn ? I was much comforted by a ser- 
mon of Mr. Martin's on Monday evening, on the 
omniscience of God. * Will God in very deed 
dwell with men ? Behold the heaven, &c.' I 
have suffered much from unbelief on this head. 
Of how many precious consolations have I been 
robbed by the evil suggestions, ' Doth God, in- 
deed/concerned as he is with the infinitude of his 
affairs,) stoop to notice my mean concerns ? ,? 
Mr, M. forcibly appealed to my reason, and 
my religion, as to the absurdity and evil of these 
suggestions. God is a spirit, and no spirit can 
exist without his energy : indeed, were it other- 
wise, it would imply an imperfection in his na- 
ture. From Satan, are all those dishonourable 
doubts which have at times but too much occu- 



38 DIARY OF 

pied my thoughts. In adopting the sentiments 
of the Wesleyans I have thought it justice to 
myself, and to the cause of truth, well to study, 
think upon, and investigate the matter : perhaps 
this external examination has been unfavourable 
to internal piety. Locke's Essay on St. Paul's 
Epistles, has fully satisfied me of the injustice 
of taking detached verses or passages to build a 
doctrine upon ; which, were the whole tenor and 
design of the letter or epistle taken, would have 
a primary and different signification. The 
Apostle's arguments in his Epistle to the Ro- 
mans are more especially respective of the Jews 
and Gentiles. This seems clear in reading the 
-whole Epistle at once, and by this we may as- 
certain the drift of his argument. 

Dec. 11, 1809. 
The last week I enjoyed many moments of 
sweet inexpressible consolation ; at times I en- 
joyed an ejaculatory communion with God ; al- 
though I have not had that distinct assurance 
of his pardoning love, for which I most earnest- 
ly pray ; yet I cannot but receive these occasion- 
al visitations of his favour as tokens for good ; 
that in his own time I shall experience that bliss- 
ful union with him, and that ardent love to him, 
which I desire. O my God, have I not given, 
myself up to Thee ? Is not my entire depen- 
dence on thy beloved Son, whom thou didst give 
a ransom for all ? I desire to act constant faith 
on him ; to give him the best, the warmest de- 
sires of my heart ; to have him reign un- 
rivalled there ! Shall I seek his face in vain? — 



MRS. COOPER. &7 

No, I cannot doubt his promise, who to the pre- 
sent time, has been so faithful. It is through 
his grace I am what I am ; and that I can tru- 
ly say, I desire God as my portion. My happi- 
ness and hopes are centred alone in him ; and 
I long and pra}' to have every faculty of my 
soul absorbed in divine love. This will reno- 
vate my nature, and make me grieve even at 
the thought of sinning against so much good- 
ness. Though I outwardly check the evils of 
my nature, yet if they rise within, what cause 
of humility and of constant application to the 
blood of Jesus ! 

Dec. 13. 

I believe that an habitual sense of the uncer- 
tainty of life would be the most prevailing in- 
centive to a devotional, holy frame of mind. It 
was an unhallowed thought that arose, (I check- 
ed it by the above consideration) c Why this 
early strictness ; you are yet young ? how will 
you be able to maintain present views for many 
years V My time is in thy hands, O God. Do 
I not desire thy favour as a present happiness ? 
Do I not strive to overcome my sins, that I may 
enjoy thee, and through thy Spirit be prepared 
for everlasting blessedness ? And is not the % de- 
light, the sacred composure resulting from the 
conquest of sin, infinitely more desirable than 
being overcome by it ? 

I wish to take the word of God as it is : that 
is faith, to receive it with child-like simplicity ; 
to be taught by the Spirit ; this is the wisdom 
I ask of God. What is earthly wisdom in com* 



S3 DIARY CF 

parison of this ? But the wisdom the Most High 
imparts here, he will perfect hereafter, ' in the 
floods of celestial light.' Not that i decry earth- 
ly knowledge : — it is most desirable when in 
subserviency to religion. History and science 
may be consecrated at the cross ; they enlarge 
our conception of God's dealings with the world, 
and of his infinite wisdom, power, and good- 
ness in the wonderful formation and preserva- 
tion of the world, and all therein. Here we 
discover our slender conceptions, and out feehh 
attempts to trace the causes of the various phe- 
nomena, the effects of which so forcibly strike 
us. O ! bend low at the footstool of the Deity ; 
man is but a worm : if thou be a Christian, the 
world is a conquered enemy. W-here should 
it lie then, but at thy feet ? 

Dec. 20, 1809. 

Daily experience convinces me how depend- 
ent I am on God for all spiritual assistance, and 
for the power through which I can persevere. — 
Without His present help, who fills heaven and 
earth, i sink, 1 die. 1 have power to use the 
means 5 and no blessings ever attend me without 
them. But the means would be no blessing.'? 
were 1 not to seek the assistance of the Spirit of 
God. 

Were I to read trifling books, pay trifling vi- 
sits, or neglect stated seasons for devotion, my 
poor heart would again become the seat of earthly 
vanities. 

Thus far I am a fcee agent ; I can avoid the 
former, and can direct my attention to the lat- 



MRS. COOPER, 89 

ter : and by so doing I often find the blessed 
presence of God. 

Though I am still an entire debtor to his 
grace, yet God works by means ; and he is faith- 
ful to his promises ; those that seek do find, and 
the bruised reed he will not break. Ungrateful 
should I be, after what I have experienced of 
God's goodness, were I to tempt him to forsake 
me now that my outward circumstances so much 
conspire to render an attendance upon him easy 
and delightful. 

Blessed Spirit, still visit me with thy gracious 
influences ! 

Dec. 21. 
1 have generally returned from visiting pro- 
fessors of religion with great dissatisfaction. — 
The great Redeemer, who might so justly claim 
the chief of their thoughts, has been the only neg- 
lected' topic of conversation. How often have I 
been grieved ! how often attempted in vain, to 
introduce eternal things ! Not so this evening : 
I have returned home from Mr. S.'s, with a 
heart more disposed for devotion, and more im- 
pressed with the love of God. The characters 
of two eminent servants of God, Mr. W. and 
Mr. Pearce, (the latter deceased,) were subjects 
of converse and delineation. How did my heart 
rejoice at the lovely accounts of Mr. W.'s fami- 
ly devotions, and habitual fervent piety. O may 
1 remember the same Lord is rich unto all that* 
call upon him. How great must have been his 
h 2 



00 DIARY OF 

obstacles, and how powerful the temptation aris- 
ing from his exalted station ? 

How inexcusable shall I be if, amid all my 
advantages, I should fall short ; and so not 
having the Spirit of Christ, be none of his. — 
Arise, my soul, call upon thy God, and seek the 
choisest blessings of his grace. 

Dec. 22, 1809. 
For the last three years (since we left town) 

1 have almost entirely neglected receiving the 
Lord's Supper. I believe I have suffered much 
loss by it $ as when 1 did receive it I found it a 
very quickening means of grace : so since I ceas- 
ed to enjoy this divine ordinance, 1 have often been 
overwhelmed with lukewarmness ; and, when 
sometimes roused to greater diligence in the pur- 
suit of eternal things, the obstacles have been 
many, viz. my great distance from the. Lock 
Chapel, a prevailing dislike to. the idea of join- 
ing the independent meeting, from my not being 
decidedly a dissenter ,• and, lastly, the mode of 
admission to this blessed ordinance among them, 
by a church examination. I feel, indeed, very 
thankful to God that the way is now clear be- 
fore me: an unexpected door is open, and I am 
once again invited to the blessed feast of the Sa- 
viour's love in the Methodist Chapel, where I 
have received so much spiritual benefit without 
any obstacle, either from circumstances or con- 
science ; being near my own house, administered 
in the church of England mode, which I always 
preferred ; and ray admission to this heavenly, 
ordinance among this people is from the impres- 



MRS. COOPER, 9.1 

sion of my being a decided character. O may 
I never deceive myself or others, but more c per- 
fectly love Thee, and more worthily magnify 
thy holy name, O Lord, for ever and ever.' 

How kind was the Redeemer in thus leaving a 
sensible memorial of his unbounded love. Re- 
member, my soul, that this sacrament, in its spi- 
ritual extent, is a covenant by which Jesus engages 
to dwell in thy heart by faith ; and if it be pro- 
perly entered into on thy part, thou dost dedi- 
cate thy body, soul, and spirit unto the Lord ; 
firmly purposing to devote every power and fa- 
culty to glorify thy Redeemer so long as thou 
hast a being. 

O thou that hearest prayer, to thee I can ap- 
peal as to the sincerity of my desires of giving 
myself up to thee. Is it not my daily prayer to 
live by faith on my Redeemer ? Do I not ask with 
importunity for the gift of thy Spirit to enable 
me to perform my resolutions, to overcome eve- 
ry sin, and to seek for entire sanctification. — 
When, by thy grace, I have been enabled to 
overcome outward temptations, yet what reason 
Jiave I had to be humble for the corruptions of 
my nature ; the risings of temper, pride, &c, 
which have been naked and open to Him who 
is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity ? What 
reason for constant humility and application to 
the blood of the covenant. 6 Without holiness 
no man shall see tlieLord.' O that these words 
may be engraven on the tablet of my heart : I 
have no time to lose \ the present is all I can 
call my own. I must therefore labour to enter 
into this rest : and act constant faith on him 



DIARY OF 



h whom all things are possible, even my pre* 
it sanctification. O may I examine myself 
< n)y by the word of God, whether I be in the 
faith ; whether the works of the Spirit be man- 
ifest ; and whether God be gradually restor- 
ing my sonl to his divine image. I am not my 
own, but thine, blessed Lord. I have given my- 
self up to thee, my hopes and fears, joys and sor- 
rows, have they not their source from thy word ? 
The world is an enemy's country ; but through it 
I must journey to the heavenly city. O that 1 may 
keep that in sight ; there will be a full compen- 
sation for all the thorns and briers, and buffet- 
ings by the way. O Lord, satisfy my soul with 
thy precious love; and I will welcome adversity, 
crosses, pains, and disappointments. Give me 
but faith in the unseen world, and I will tram- 
ple the present world under my feet. 

Dec. 23, 1809. 
I have had a most pleasing anticipation of the 
services of to-morrow, once again to be invited 
to the spiritual banquet prepared by my Sa- 
viour ; once again to have those precious words 
addressed to me. 6 Take, eat : this is my body. 9 
If faith be but in exercise, shall I not be strength- 
ened to run the race to obtain the prize ? Will 
not my heart be more warned, my graces more 
nourished, my corruptions more weakened, my 
hopes of assurance more heightened ? If I do 
not receive these blessings, I must impute it to 
the weakness of my faith. But let me examine 
myself, whether my heart be fitly prepared 
for the reception of these divine mysteries.— 



MRS. COOPER, 

What is my advancement in knowledge ? Has 
the recollection of the sins of my early years, of 
the misimprovement of that light inspired into 
my mind at an early period ; of my heart wan- 
derings from God after I had made an outward 
profession fn 1803; of my careless perform- 
ance of private prayer and devotional reading; 
of my lukewarmness and misimprovement of the 
ordinances of God ? Have I been humbled before 
God, and have I sought forgiveness through 
Christ for these manifold transgressions ? Have 
I bewailed these offences as committed against 
God's purity, and as the basest ingratitude ? If 
I have, can 1 find more humility, more watch- 
fulness, more intense desires after entire con- 
formity to God ? Lord, I have not the evidences 
I desire to have ; yet, blessed be thy name, I 
can trace earnest desires and endeavours after 
them ; and I daily wait at thy feet for these 
blessings, for the fulfilment of thy promises. 

6 Without faith it is impossible to please God/ 
Have I used the little imparted to me ? By con- 
templating the unseen world, and by a lively 
persuasion that my only trust and hope of pre- 
sent and future happiness is from the Redeemer's 
love, I have rejoiced with joy unspeakable ; 
sweet peace has shed its balmy influence on my 
heart, and I have exclaimed, l My beloved is 
mine, and I am his.' — How have I loved retire- 
ment on these occasions, and mused on the pre- 
cious love of God to my soul ? Surely, O Lord, 
it was thy Spirit working on my heart. How 
lovely *vas Christ ? how hateful the appearances 
of evil to my soul, which at those seasons pant- 



94 DIARY OF 

ed after thee ? Were notthese, exercises of faith ! 
Lord, increase my faith. Help me to be watch- 
ful against the risings of sin, and to be importu- 
nate with thee for larger degrees of humility, — 
O that heavenly grace ! 

Jesus, my teacher, can I ever indulge high- 
mindedness, self love, and vain conceit? I shall 
have strangely forgotten thee as my pattern, 
who wast meek and lowly of heart, if these de- 
testable evils again reign in my heart. c By this 
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if 
ye have love one to another.' 

Do I love the image of Christ wherever I be- 
hold it reflected in any of his members ? Can I 
esteem grace though in poverty ? Do I behave 
with Christian humility to all who love the Sa- 
viour, and strive to promote their interests as 
far as I have ability ? In this I do rejoice, and 
humbly hope 1 may add an affirmative to each of 
th sse queries. Lord, increase my love of them 
and thee. 

Is my obedience to Christ constrained ; or 
does it proceed from love and entire willingness 
to be his in body, soul, and spirit ? Blessed Sa- 
vio \r, can I contemplate thy life, death, and 
sufferings, and be insensible to the amazing sa- 
crifice, the astonishing love which could induce 
thee to leave the realms of uncreated blessed- 
ness, that thy creature man might be reconciled 
to an offended God ? Didst thou offer thyself a 
voluntary sacrifice for my sins, and can I hesi- 
tate whether I shall give up all to thee? Im- 
possible — poor indeed, is the return — yet, as 
thou art supremely lovely in my esteem, I wish 
to make no reserve, but to dedicate all my pow- 



MRS. COOPER. S5 

ers to thee, and have all my desires centre in 
thee; nothing but thy love can satisfy my soul. 
O be present with me when I bow before thy al- 
tar, and partake of the broken bread, emblem of 
that precious body which was broken on the 
cross ; and drink of that wine, commemorative 
of thy most precious blood, which flowed for the 
salvation of thy guilty creatures. I am very 
weak and helpless, but thou art strong and 
mighty. 1 want heavenly wisdom, that I may 
understand the heights and depths of redeeming 
love. I want to love the Lord with all my 
heart, with all my soul, with all my strength ; 
and to love my neighbour as myself. Thou 
alone canst make me a partaker of these amaz- 
ing blessings. O may I not ask amiss, but re- 
ceive of thee grace, constantly to seek thy fa- 
vour, and live upon thy revealed word. 

Dec. 25, 1809. 
Yesterday 1 heard Mr. Benson preach three 
times: it was the most delightful Sabbath I ever 
spent. His sermon in the morning was from 
John i, 12. In elucidating the beginning of that 
chapter, I was surprised, and delighted with 
his clear views of the Trinity; a subject on 
which, I had previously understoood, he ex- 
celled. In the first head of his discourse he 
showed what was meant by receiving Christ, 
accepting him alone as a Teacher, trusting him 
as a Mediator, loving him as the only Redeem- 
er, and acknowledging him as our Governor ; he 
being the author of eternal salvation, only to 
those who obey him, 



W DIARY OF 

I was enabled, I trust, through the Spirit's in- 
fluence, to believe my interest in him. I could 
no longer withstand ; but in my heart said, ' My 
beloved is mine, and I am his.' How sweetly 
did he expatiate upon the privileges of God's 
children ! How did he unfold the blessed effects 
of that holy relationship, and urge us yet to press 
forward and seek after an entire conformity to 
the image of God. 

In the afternoon he preached from 1 Tim. i. 
15. in the evening from 1 John iii. 8. The 
Lord's Supper was not administered till to-day 
by Mr. Martin. Surely this is a day which I 
shall have in everlasting remembrance. 1 found 
the chapel to be none other than the house of 
God, and the gate of Heaven; surely I was en- 
abled to feed upon Christ in my heart by faith , 
with thanksgiving. I bless and praise thee, my 
Redeemer, for thy presence manifested to me 
this day. By faith have I entered the manger 
where the blessed Jesus condescended to make 
his appearance; doing honour to our nature in 
veiling his Godhead in our humanity. O, I left 
my burden in the manger ! my faith kindled at 
the sight ; he is my bright and morning-star ; 
and, while he sheds the divine radiance on my 
soul, I am supremely happy. Perhaps thou hast 
sent me this as a cordial ; as a preparative for 
trials : O Lc v i, I want a faith that will overcome 
all dii, r I»y, all opposition, and all discourage- 
ment. 1 want a faith operating on every power 
of my soul; I want to be subdued entirely to 
thy grace, and know no will but thine. OLord, 
while I am seeking strength from thee, and a 



MRS. COOPER. 97 

ing faith upon thee, I shall not grieve thee by 
separating from thy mild and lovely govern- 
ment : but O, leave me not to myself; for, sepa- 
rate from thee, I fall : separate from thee I only 
know disquietude, and am left to the darkness 
and ignorance of my own mind. 

This day J have again sealed the covenant ; 
I have enlisted under the banners of the cross, 
and am no longer my own but his 5 bought with 
the price of the Redeemer's blood. How power- 
ful are my motives for persevering ! What ! shall 
I forsake the fountain of living waters, the 
streams of which have gladdened my heart and 
introduced a taste of heaven ? Shall I ever again 
try the world — that deceiver ? Shall I, with 
eternity before me : I, who can only ensure the 
present now, shall I again run the risk of losing 
my title to immortality, by indulging lukewarm- 
ness and indifference ; by trifling or misim prov- 
ing the time given me for so important a work ? 

O Lord, I beseech thee, be thou my helper, 
keep thy abode in my heart ; and let me expe- 
rience more and more the love, the joy, the peace 
of believing. In proportion as I do this, shall 
I disdain the poor offerings of this vain world ; 
and see the inadequacy of human knowledge for 
immortal powers 5 as also the clanger, the mise- 
ry of allowing the heart to be divided, of making 
a truce with the world, which wa always God's 
enemy ; and therefore is and ought i I.j mine. 
' Bless the Lord, O my soul ; and never forget 
this day's benefits.' 



98 "DIARY OF 

Dec. 29, 1809. 
I have, with little intermission, enjoyed the 
manifestation of God's love in my soul the past 
week ; in one instance I grieved the . Spirit of 
God. Oh, what sensations of anguish did it oc- 
casion me ? by earnest prayer I was restored to 
peace before night. From this I learn the ne- 
cessity of being continually watchful : to be over- 
come by sin ; what bitterness does it occasion ? 
how are evidences clouded ? how does the soul 
recoil at the idea, that the Son of God is thereby 
crucified afresh ? what carefulness has it wrought 
in me ever since ; how importunate was 1 the 
following morning for God's grace to keep me 
from the approach of evil. In tender mercy he 
has heard my prayer : I feel convinced that sin 
must be a strange work to the believer : It is 
incompatible with the indwelling of the Spirit 
of God : 1 long to feel deeper the Spirit's influ- 
ence ; I want to be filled with that holy love 
which shall make me increasingly superior to 
the allurements of sense, which shall make my 
affections spiritual, and keep me aspiring after 
entire subordination and love to God; so that 
heaven begun below may be my happy portion. 
O I have felt the joy arising from a sense of par- 
don; may I never forfeit it by sinning against 
the God of all goodness, who, in so much mer- 
cy, answered my prayers. My faith is, alas ! 
very weak. O may I more fully comprehend 
the large extent of that salvation Christ came to 
bestow, even a deliverance from the power of all 
sin > a vital and mysterious union of the soul 



MRS. COOPER. 99 

with himself; that c white stone which no man 
knoweth save he that receiveth it.' " 



[On entering into a solemn covenant with God 
at the commencement of the New Year, she 
makes the following remarks and resolutions : — ] 

Jan. 7, 1810. 
" I have this day added to my obligations of 
living only and closely to God. I have entered 
into a public and solemn covenant with the £ a- 
ther, Son, and Holy Ghost, to give up my body, 
soul, and spirit, all I have and all I am, to Him, 
as a most reasonable service. God is my wit- 
ness, that my heart is sincere in this self dedica- 
tion ; that I choose Christ with his yoke, his 
cross and his crown, i in preference to the world, 
its wealth, its pleasures and its curse. Things 
temporal are but as a shadow ; things which are 
eternal are substantial. O my God, thy eyelids 
try the children of men ; thou hast witnessed and 
ratified in Heaven that most solemn renunciation 
which I have made of sin and self; I have gi- 
ven myself up to thee as thy servant. — Choose 
thou for me my future portion ; be my inheri- 
tance. O blissful thought! The eternal God, \ 
who by a word spake all creation into existence, 
who was from everlasting to everlasting, even 
lie whose existence is so incomprehensible, has 
promised to take up his abode in the contrite 
heart. This is his revelation : the world by 
wisdom knew it not : it was a stretch too vast 
for human thought, that He whom the heaven of 



100 DIARY OF 

heavens cannot contain, should thus condescend 
to visit every heart that will make him room. — 
O fill my soul with thy love, and heaven shall 
commence there. O that I may daily take up 
my cross and follow thee ; be under the teach- 
ings of thy Spirit 5 and never, never grieve him, 
but be more and more assimilated to the image 
of God; possessing that inward and outward 
holiness without which the gates of Heaven will 
be closed to me. — Hence may I learn that as the 
present moment is all I ean ensure ; so constant 
and present living on Christ is my duty and pri- 
vilege : and to depend on that grace which he 
has said shall be sufficient. — This is living by 
faith; this is the life I desire to live; and if 
there be any secret sin which rises up in opposi- 
tion, Holy Spirit, convince me of it ; and let me 
not rest satisfied, be it a right arm or a right 
eye, till it is cut off or plucked out ! — Help me 
diligently to use all the means of grace thou hast 
prescribed, for the utter destruction of all my 
corruptions; and to watch against all tempta- 
tions, particularly those of prosperity. That is 
a hard trial to a Christian, it being but rarely 
his element in this world.— Thy holy word 1 
take to be the rule of my life ; to thy yoke I sub- 
mit. O be thou my teacher and my instructor 
in meekness and lowliness of heart ; in purity of 
intention, in habitual devotion of mind, in a 
holy superiority to the allurements of sense, and 
the fascinations of pleasure! O give me that 
living water that I may never thirst ; and let it 
spring up within me unto everlasting life ! — 
A men and Amen. 

MARY HANSON. 



MRS. COOPER. 101 

Jan. 11, 1S10. 
i have enjoyed much of the divine presence 
this day ; my soul has been filled with love and 
peace. 

f Renounce all strength but strength divine, 
' And peace shall be for ever mine.' 

By simply believing and looking unto Jesus, 
are received all those divine blessings which 
cause the enraptured soul to say, ' My Father, 
my God, and my friend.' God is indeed faith- 
ful to his promises : when I seek his face and his 
favour with sincerity, when I desire it as my 
chief good, then he, by his Spirit, manifests him- 
self, gives me power over sin, and imparts a 
peace which passeth understanding. — I am 
jealous of any interruption to these sublime emo- 
tions; his presence who fills Heaven and earth 
alone, satisfies my soul ; I desire no other com- 
pany. This peace can only be maintained by 
conquest over sin. And Oh ! how impossible 
while under these sacred influences, to be ruffled 
by passion, or overcome by pride. — Clouds may 
succeed this sunshine. O my God, prepare me 
for thy will, for I have given up my oivn. — ■ 
Prepare me for temptation and suffering ; may 
1 be strengthened by these proofs of thy pater- 
nal care, and take up my cross and follow 7 thee 
daily. 

Jan. 22, 1810. 
When the soul is impressed with a sense of 
the divine presence and love, the world in vain 

i2 



103 DIARY OF 

attempts to seduce; feeling its celestial origin 
and destination., the soul leaves sensible objects, 
and soars to the pure fountain of life and happi- 
ness. 

O my God, I acknowledge thy goodness to the 
present moment; the last week I was in Lon- 
don, a place of all others I had before found un- 
favourable for meditation ; and yet, glory to thy 
name, thou wast there present to my soul ; thou 
art 

1 In the void waste as in the city full.' 

I have returned to my loved closet, strengthened 
and animated to run with vigour the race set 
before me. O thou best of Beings ; one ray of 
thy benignity can impart the most solid and ex- 
quisite delight ; in the contemplation of thee how 
does my soul expand ! How does it long to pos- 
sess the fruition of thy grace and glory! It is 
then I feel fettered by mortality. O may I 
drink deeper into these holy mysteries, and feel 
more powerfully that thy Spirit is within me ; 
that my life is hid with Christ in God. 

O Saviour of mankind, how inadequate is a life, 
an eternity of praise, to show forth thy love to 
my poor soul. O may my short life be a life of 
obedience! 

Jan. 23, 1810. 

It is with peculiar gratitude I record that the 

last months of the past }*tar have been in a 

spiritual sense the best of my life ; God has been 

faithful to his word ; shall I ever forsake him 



MRS. COOTLil. 10.3 

and grieve bis Spirit by lukewarmness ? Unless 
I persevere in fervent prayer, in devotional retire- 
ment, and constant watchfulness, the ensnaring 
world, and my more ensnaring heart, will gain* 
the victory 5 and heaven and eternity will be but 
rarely contemplated. O my God, save me 
from this ! never can I know true peace inde- 
pendent of these ; O enable me to prefer thee 
to all the world besides ; and to exercise a never- 
failing trust in thy providence ! O my heavenly 
Father ! let me henceforth depend supremely 
on thy parental care ; and seek no other guide 
than thy holy word. May a more entire happi- 
ness in thee be the supreme object of my hopes. 
Whatever may be the result of the year I am 
now entering upon, with regard to temporal 
concerns, may my soul but enjoy the presence of 
God, and all will be well. I wish more power- 
fully to feel the necessity of constantly seeking 
the influence of the Holy Spirit, to renovate my 
nature, to baptize me afresh ; these are evi- 
dences of a state of acceptance with God. 
Christ was manifested to destroy sin ; and if he 
has been and is manifested to my soul, sin will 
be destroyed, viz. its reigning and allowed 
powers, I must be meek and lowly ; humble 
and teachable ; these are lessons none can ef- 
fectually teach me but the Spirit, and he can ; 
and will, if I act faith on the promises, and be 
not satisfied till they are fulfilled. 

Jan. 24, 1810. 
All things are possible to them that believe ; 
even entire sanctification. — Am I advancing in 



104 DIARY e* 

holiness ? Alas ! worldly thoughts occupy too 
large a share of every day ; thoughts which, 
if not immediately worldly, yet tend to no 
good ; vague and wandering —When I should 
be enjoying God, perhaps I am indulging self- 
conceit, or supposed superiority of mind. — 
1 How long shall vain thoughts lodge within me.' 
Cleanse thou the thoughts of my heart by the 
inspiration of thy Holy Spirit ; all evil is first 
engendered in the heart; God looks to the 
heart; the law, the gospel-law extends to the 
thoughts of the heart : if the fountain be pure, 
the streams cannot be corrupt. — May I keep my 
heart with all diligence, and be importunate 
with God to sanctify me wholly. — Here is indeed 
cause for humility, but none for despair. Though 
my thoughts have been vain, blessed be God 
who heareth prayer, he hath not suffered me, 
through their influence, to commit actual and 
known sin. I must guard against judging too 
much of my state from such frames and feel- 
ings ; these are often affected by various physi- 
.cal causes; my judgment of myself must pro- 
ceed from the prevailing practical desires of liv- 
ing near to God, and obeying him ; and I know 
that I shall be happy in proportion as these are 
lively "and strong; the divine communication 
will be opened, and prayer be the ladder by 
which I shall step from earth to Heaven. These 
are the blessed realities of religion ; the more 
they are sought the more largely will they be 
dispensed. The most effectual antidote to world- 
ly thoughts and vain desires is the consideration 
of the omnipresence of God. Alas ! I have 



MRS. COOPER. 1{)j 

thought too little of this, and also of the future 
judgment. — For a habitual reflection on these I 
must daily petition the Father of mercies ; be- 
lieving he will accomplish every thing asked ict 
faith according to his. word. 

I am sensible I do not redeem time as I ought 
to do ; my plans are too lax, too much under 
the influence of passing accidents ; in work I 
loiter, and in visiting the poor am not sufficient- 
ly strenuous in spiritual things, nor active enough 
in my exertions ; this, with the help of God, I 
hope to amend, and to attain to greater dili- 
gence in business and fervency of spirit — serv- 
ing the Lord. 

Hammersmith, Jan. 27, ISlO. 

Eternity alone can develope the full extent of 
the Redeemer's love. When we there behold 
him in the splendour of his Godhead, surround- 
ed by angels and archangels, and the spirits of 
the just made perfect; when we contrast his 
glory with his humiliation, and ourselves have 
attained the crown of eternal felicity; then, with 
an emphasis Heaven alone can inspire, shall we 
exclaim— Worthy is the Lamb I 

Jesus, mindful of the weakness of human na- 
ture, though on the point of his extreme suffer- 
ings, left a sensible commemoration of his 
love, by which an appeal is made to sense and 
faitfi in those symbols of his death. O my 
soul, think a little of this sacrifice. Now 
the application of it will redeem thee from the 
power of death, hell, and the grave And 
#ha.t return canst thou make? 1 Nothing ade- 



106 »iar¥ or 

quate to his gift. But what does he require? 
6 My heart.' O may it be my delight to conse- 
crate every thing to him ; and while by faith I 
see him stretched on the cross, may I powerfully 
feel the dreadful nature and tendency of sin.— 
If I love him, I shall consider every sin as again 
inflicting the wounds of Calvery. He died that 
the lost Image of God might be restored in 
man ; that by the sanctification of the Spirit, 
man might be fitted for the realms of purity. 

' As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, 
so panteth my soul after thee, O God.' I am 
transported with thy love ! Nothing but thee will 
content my soul. To partake of the precious 
memorials of thy love, is all my heart desires. 
O be present with the influence of thy Spirit, and 
let me approach thy altar with my faith firmly 
fixed jon Him, who bled, that I might never die. 

I desire to be filled with love, and lie pros- 
trate in the dust at the consideration of my own 
unworthiness. 

I want my repentance deepened, my faith 
confirmed, my love inflamed. Thou only art 
sufficient for these things. 

Feb. 20, 1810. 

I was both encouraged and instructed by a. 
sermon Mr. Martin preached last evening from 
Matt ix. 29. — ' According to your faith be it 
unto you,' 

In speaking of the nature and effects of faith, 
he made the remark, which confirmed an opin- 
ion I have long held, that ' faith is the standard 
of our experience.' The man who believes it to 



mns» cooper. .107 

be impossible that he can have a knowledge of 
the forgiveness of sins, never attains it — he can- 
not — because blessings are imparted only < ac- 
cording to'what he believes.' In like manner 
those who believe the man of sin can never be 
destroyed, will never attain to this blessing. 
Faith, that divine and operative power, prevails 
with God. He must impart that which he has 
promised ; and he has promised all needful 
things. Only believe, know, and live up to the 
privileges of the gospel, and what a glorious 
prospect opens upon the Christian ? 

May I but exercise more and more this divine 
principle! Lord, increase my faith; and may 
an eye steadily fixed on thy power, bring down 
upon my soul thy promised blessings. 

This day (Feb. 20,) I attended a Methodist 
classmeeting for the first time : and was much 
pleased with the earnestness and simplicity of 
the people. Their several accounts of God ? s 
dealings with their souls were plain and scriptu- 
ral ; and I do think those meetings exceedingly 
well calculated to maintain holiness, and pro- 
mote it in the heart. The downcast is encour- 
aged by the happy state of another soul ; and 
by the judicious advice of the leader, each re- 
ceives encouragement. 

O for simplicity of heart to receive the king- 
dom of God as a little child ! Away with cavil- 
lings, and sceptical reasonings. When did these 
ever produce joy and peace in believing ? E&* 
perimental religion is not a subject which a na- 
tural man can reason upon ; it is to him foolish- 
ness : it can only be spiritually discerned. O 



108 DIARY OF 

may the religion I profess be a well of water 
springing up within me! — A holy principle, 
producing joy and peace ; a principle which 
shall make me soar above the world, feel the di- 
vine origin of my soul, and be constantly tend- 
ing towards the source of all true felicity. 

Feb, 27> 1810. 
I find more and more that my happiness is "i- 
separable from religion. If I pass but a shoit 
time without thinking of God, and during that 
time am full of hilarity, and perhaps of thought- 
lessness, how does it pierce my soul to think 
God was not in all my thoughts ? The nearer I 
live to him, the more superior I become to the 
fascinations of the world. This is a divine les- 
son : I want habitually to practise it. Reading 
that has no reference to God, I find no delight 
in. My soul has now an appetite for spiritual 
food ; it must have daily satisfaction in the con- 
templation of the Deity, and of his dealings in 
various ways with the souls of men. It is a 
pleasing evidence to my mind that my taste, 
pursuits, and sentiments, are so opposite to what 
they were. That which was formerly a task, is 
now a delight; and that which was once my 
pleasure, and pursued with an unwarrantable 
avidity, delights me no more. — The more fre- 
quent and serious my meditations are on eterni- 
ty, the more powerfully am I convinced of the 
rationality of devoting most of my time, to the 
study of spiritual subjects. Wisdom which is 
from above will survive the conflagration of the 
universe; and will attain its maturity where 
faith is lost in sight. The study of nature I 



MRS. COOPER. 109 

™^Ji delight in; while it delights it edifies ; it 
exalts one's conceptions of the Deity, and disco- 
vers to us the design and harmony of these his 
lowest works. I purpose trying again my fa- 
vourite, chymistry, and to gain some tolerable 
theoretic knowledge of it, being denied the prac- 
tical part. Whatever tends to alienate my af- 
{*■ tions from God I would avoid. He is the 
rather of lights; and if he but illuminate my 
understanding, and impart his blessed presence 
to my soul, and give me more and deeper viem^ 
of my own nature, and need of his glorious ex-^¥ 
cellence and fullness ; 1 desire no more. I will 
contentedly sojourn here below, and meet all his 
dispensations with a calmness he willjmpart. 

Fast Day, Feb. 28. 
I consider a day set apart for public humilia- 
tion a privilege ; and although there are thou- 
sands in this land who wholly disregard it, (and 
perhaps some of these are among the first to in- 
stitute it,) yet to such as have spiritual discern- 
ment, who know and feel the heinous nature of 
sin, who have studied the histories of oiher 
countries, marked their rise and fall, traced the 
progress of that luxury and abandonment of 
public morals, which at length brought down 
the just and merited judgment of God ; persons 
of this character justly fear for tneir own land, 
and at these seasons humble themselves not on- 
ly for their own sins, but for those of their guilty 
country. — My private judgment is, that a fast is 
not properly observed, unless there be an entire, 
hot partial abstinence from ordinary food.— Not 

K 



110 DIARY OF 

that the act, independent of the principle, will 
be regarded by God : this is fully evinced in 
Isaiah lviii. But when the body is humbled, 
the soul is more alive to painful subjects, acts 
more independently of it. and faith and love are 
winged. By abstaining from customary enjoy- 
ments, we learn more sensibly to appreciate our 
dependence on God, and to evince gratitude to 
him for common enjoyments. Alas ! how many 
are deprived of these ! 

I have this day felt intense desires after con- 
formity to God : to have his blessed Image 
stamped on my soul, the kingdom of God with- 
in me ; and were my faith greater, more habit- 
ual, I should be much nearer the glorious Pente- 
cost. It has been experienced by numbers,; 
and why should I despair ? J rind, upon ex- 
amining my heart, a great deal of self-will, pride, 
and worldly mindedness unsubdued : but I will 
not rest till these enemies to my Lord are cru- 
cified. I have again renewed my covenant with 
God, devoting body, soul and spirit to his 
service ; resolving by his grace to go on from 
strength to strength, bearing my cross, suffering 
his will, till meetened for Heaven. Endeavour- 
ing more habitually * to keep the end in view,' 
that solemn account 1 must render to my Gocl 
when earth and all therein shall be burnt up. 

if no obstacle arise, I hope to meet in Mr. P. 7 s 
class to-morrow evening. I need every help, 
every encouragement ; and to unite myself with 
the people of God will, I hope, through the di- 
vine blessing, be a mean of accelerating my 
progress towards heavenly enjoyment As lit- 



MRS. COOPF.R. Ill 

tie as possible will I have to do with that bane of 
piety— lukewarm professors, worldly saints. 

it is now ten months since 1 was induced to 
hear the Methodists, and examine their princi- 
ples. My good opinion of them has increased 
in proportion to my inquiry I have, found real 
piety among them ; the true enjoyment of reli- 
gion ; and, according to my judgment, the right 
apprehension of God's word. When they speak 
for themselves 1 agree with them on every point. 
My desire is to live and die with them ; and, if 
it were God's will, never to remove out of their 
connexion. At present 1 can only partially at- 
tend the chapel. I think it the most apostolic 
church now in existence. The government I 
much approve of; and as to the local preachers 
my prejudices have ceased. I have derived 
more benefit from their plain experimental ser- 
mons, than from any of merely school taught 
divines. They are too useful to be rejected, 
too pious not to edify the humble followers of 
Jesus : I have long had the form of religion, 
but now I earnestly desire to feel its power ; 

to delight, as far as my poor ability lies, to 

go about doing gcod. 

March 19, 1810. 
Sunday was the day for the society receiving 
their tickets. With much fear and trembling, 
I stopped, and received, with six others, admigv- 
sion tickets into the Methodist Society/' 



112 SIARY OF 

[It was Mr. Fish who gave her the admission 
ticket, on March 18th $ and in a day or two af- 
terwards, Mr, Moore sent her a regular socie- 
ty ticket : on the back of which she herself has 
written, i Happy in God and in possession of the 
peace which passeth understanding.'] 

March 24. 
" Since Monday I have enjoyed uncommon 
peace of mind; at times great joy in believing : 
not one wish have I had to draw back from the 
Society ; but many pleasing thoughts in having 
so decidedly entered into such solemn engage- 
ments to serve my God. 1 went to class, and 
found it very profitable ; I was enabled to speak 
with more confidence than I ever expected of 
God's goodness to my soul. O, that it may be 
a mean of kindling the divine spark into a holy 
flame; that all my powers may burn with love 
to that gracious Being, who has so mercifully in- 
clined his ear to me. I have had, the past 
week, a full conviction of my acceptance with 
God. Unspeakable privilege ! His command- 
ments are my delight ; his will my happiness.— 
; for more acquaintance with it. 

March 30, 1810. 
For the last week I have found the blessedness 
of serving God ; of aspiring after more acquaint- 
ance with him, as the God of nature, providence 
and grace. I have had much peace ; but, oh ! 
how much do I find the means and the end con- 



MRS. coorER. 113 

nee ted. When I seek him with my whole heart, 
and resign myself and all my concerns into his 
hands, his blessing accompanies it : the witness 
of the Spirit that I am accepted through the Be- 
loved. True religion has a blessed reward con- 
nected with it ; and self-denial brings a present 
satisfaction. To maintain this, prayer and 
watchfulness must be without ceasing ; and 
there must be strivings against the obtrusive 
infirmities of nature, and the temptations which 
varying circumstances may produce. Stated 
seasons of prayer and reading must be rigorous- 
ly attended to, in spite of dullness and sloth. — 
Where the warfare, if religion had always de- 
light connected with its requirements ? It is a 
state of trial; a life of faith : and to him that 
Qverco7?ieih is the crown of glory promised. 

I enjoyed, exceedingly, Mr Moore's preach- 
ing, three times on Sunday. In the afternoon 
he descanted sweetly on the Love of God.-— 
* We love him, because he first loved us.' — 
Revelation, reason and experience, all testify, 
that in proportion as we love him, and admire 
his excellencies, in that proportion shall we do 
his will and delight in his commandments. In 
the evening Mr. M preached from Job xxii. 
21. i Acquaint now thyself with him, and be 
at peace.' It was a most able discourse ; and 
he powerfully showed the unattainableness of 
peace, independent of an acquaintance with God : 
such a knowledge as rectifies the heart, and 
transforms it into his image. I found a great 
blessing in all the services. The society stop- 
k2 



314 DIARY OF 

ped after the evening service, and were sweetly 
exhorted to unity, steadfastness, and growing 
piety among themselves. 

On Monday, I spent an hour or two with 
Mr. Moore, at Mr. B. ? s; I much enjoyed his 
conversation: he is a man of true wisdom — eve- 
ry word has weight. He cleared up some dif- 
ficult passages of Scripture, entirely to my satis- 
faction. He has kindly invited me to go and 
see him ; and I much hope an opportunity will 
offer itself. He also promised to introduce me 
to that eminent saint, Lady Mary Fitzgerald ; 
I should like indeed to draw the spirit of Ca- 
naan from her lips. ' Before we parted, Mr. M. 
prayed most affectionately for me. In the even- 
ing he preached from Hebrews vi. 1. < There- 
fore, leaving the principles, &c. let us go on 
unto perfection.' A most delightful sermon, on 
that controverted subject. True ardent love to 
God and man, producing obedience to the Divne 
will, is the summary of the perfection he and all 
of them preach. He told me I had put the ser- 
mon into his head, by repeating that verse in the 
morning. 1 am thankful for it, as it tended to 
confirm me more in that blessed doctrine. How 
increasing are my obligations to love and serve 
Thee, thou Lord of heaven ! How continually 
does the manna of thy love drop around my 
tent! Encompassed by thy mercies; O, may 
every day find me pressing after more and deep- 
er acquaintance with Thee, who fillest all in all. 

And, O, may the love thou hast imparted to 
my soul break forth in acts of love and benevo- 
lence to all around me, so that the talent thou hast 



MRS. COOPER. 115 

imparted may be improved, and I may render 
up my account with joy. 

April 9. 
Clouds occasionally obscure the bright beams 
of the Sun of righteousness on my soul ; but, 
blessed be God, under these clouds, my confi- 
dence in his mercy and favour towards me is 
unchanged. I do not always equally rejoice, 
but I can trust. Against corruptions, tempta- 
tions and infirmities, I know I shall have to com- 
bat : a crown of glory is worth every effort. I 
find my desires after God increase ; 1 want more 
knowledge, faith and love ; nor will I rest satis- 
fied till I am set free from sin. I feel jealous of 
every thing that draws my heart from this ob- 
ject. O God I satisfy my desires. 1 much en- 
joyed the services of yesterday ; the preacher 
was Mr. Reece, from the East London circuit, 
a man of very lively talents, original, and awak- 
ening. The ' burning bush/ Exodus iii. was 
the morning subject. He took a general and 
very edifying view of the church, from that pe» 
riod to the present. A love-feast was held af- 
ter the evening service : a more rational and 
scriptural account of God's dealings with the 
souls of those who spoke, could not, I think, be 
given. I had much reason to rejoice with all : 
God is with them of a truth. O, that that 
place may be filled with such humble, holy wor- 
shippers. I heard much to encourage me, as 
an individual. Religion, in this circuit, from 
Mr. R.'s account, is in a very flourishing and 
reviving state. Two hundred new members 
have been added since the last Conference, 



ilG 



DIARY OP 



April 23, 1810. 
In being myself raised to newness of life, I 
find the most conclusive, satisfactory evidence 1 
can have of Christ's resurrection. My desires 
and endeavours after this, blessed be God, do 
increase. For this, God endued me with a ra- 
tional existence : for this, Christ willingly shed 
his precious blood. O glorious hope 1 full of 
immortality. There are seasons when I can rise 
above the transitory things of life; and, by faith, 
pierce the veil, which so long hid ' my Lord from 
my eyes.' I can now see God every where, 
and in every thing ; and at times, have trans- 
porting views of his greatness, wisdom, and love. 
O .' why did I so long live at a distance from 
my God ; from the only source of rest and calm 
repose ! Why did I ever attempt to compromise 
with the world ; his enemy ? I became untrue to 
my heavenly Spouse ; counted his service an un- 
necessary strictness. Glory be to the whole 
Trinity, that all have conspired to deliver me 
from this darkness; and that every day I feel a - 
willing necessity to love God, and give up all to 
him ; satisfied of his faithfulness, that if 1 am 
but true to -the grace he imparts, he will give 
more and more ; and that from being a babe, I 
shall become strong in Christ Jesus, being root- 
ed and grounded in love. Faith is a continual 
act ,• that which was imparted the last hour is 
not sufficient for the present : — but God is all- 
sufficient, and all his glorious attributes unite in 
my behalf, to ensure the continuence of his fa- 
vour, while I wait for him in the appointed way. 
e To love God? blessed privilege ! angels never 



MRS. COOPER. 117 

knew such a cause ; it was left for man to attain 
the heights and depths of redeeming love. 

I was much encouraged by a sermon of Mr. 
Moore's, last evening, from Rom. vi. 4. i left 
the sanctuary rejoicing, and in my closet had 
sweet intercourse with God. Whilst I was a 
lukewarm professor, 1 passed on very quietly, 
without opposition : but now I find my increas- 
ing earnestness produces many remarks ; and 
if I go on to walk in newness of life, I find that 
not even my professing friends will be silent. At 
these things I am not affrighted ; only I must be 
very cautious not to be buffeted for faults ; not to 
suffer spiritual duties to interfere with my other 
daily avocations. For this end, I must redeem 
my time ; and, instead of rising at six, as I do 
now, rise an hour earlier ,• and particularly be 
diligent when at business. God forbid I should 
ever bring any just reproach on Religion ; rath- 
er may I adorn, by a meek and lowly conversa- 
tion, that divine cause my whole heart is now 
engaged in. I have been much interested by- 
reading again Paley's Natural Theology, and 
Derham's Physico- Theology. This is my fa- 
vourite amusement \ it leads me to God, and my 
eyes become the medium of instruction. 

Aprils, 1810. 
For the two past days I have enjoyed the 
peace which passeth understanding, 

' Not a cloud did arise, 
1 To darken the skies, 
* Or to hide for a moment my Lord from my eyes.' 



)18 DIARY OF 

The inward witness of Christianity, is to the 
believer who experiences it, an unanswerable 
proof of its divinity. While this pervades the 
soul, (and the fault is in myself if it do not al- 
ways ,) how lovely are divine requisitions! Self- 
denial has its joys, and the cross has a sweetness 
which divests it of its name. I feel my nature 
sc renewed, so transformed from what it was, 
that while I constantly feel, ' O ! to grace how 
great a debtor,' I am constrained humbly to 
hope, and humbly believe, that God is my Fath- 
er, and views me with love. Amazing privilege ! 
When I contemplate his glories in nature, in this 
beauteous globe : when my heart vibrates with 
gratitude for the love with which his Spirit has in- 
spired me. O, when I can call him mine, and know 
that all his glorious attributes conspire to ensure 
my confidence in him ! That aZZ, while I walk 
in obedience to Him, proclaim peace to my soul. 

1 find the blessed effect of renewing my cove- 
nant with God every morning. I can set to my 
seal that God is true : he is unchangeable ; and 
should a distance ever grow between us, the 
fault will be in me. Bitter work for repentance 
indeed. Why should I injure my own peace 
by ever allowing indifference towards so glori- 
ous an object, to obtrude on my soul. Forbid it, 
gracious God. Let the love I now feel towards 
thee, every day increase May I never be sat- 
isfied without progress in the knowledge of thee. 
Last evening 1 bade farewell, for a few weeks, 
to my good old women ? and I found considera- 
ble delight in offering up prayer to God for them, 
to keep and support them till we meet again. I 



MRS. COOPER. 119 

visited those on my poor list : I hope God has 
begun a good work in two of them ; but, what a 
veil of ignorance is there to remove from the 
hearts of those who have passed forty or sixty 
years in ignorance of God ; his Spirit alone can 
effect it. I have read and talked to them : pray- 
ed with and for them. O that God may give 
an increase ! 1 am at times almost overwhelmed 
with the state of those who are dead in sin ; the 
awful precipice on which they so heedlessly 
stand Fain would I give up myself to do all 
my little ability can, to warn and allure them to 
flee from the wrath to come. 

May 13, 1810. 
My going to town has been postponed till 
next week, on account of my brother's illness. 
I continue to enjoy some of the blessed effects of 
religion : they are to me paths of pleasantness \ 
and whenever I grieve, it is because my heart 
at times is not intense upon the great object, of 
having a constant communication open between 
Heaven and ray soul. But I cannot rest with- 
out a large inciease of my present attainments. 
I have but just past the threshhold of religion ; I 
want to advance till 1 am filled with all the ful- 
ness of God." 



[In this place, on the back of her second soci- 
ety-ticket, June, 1810, she writes — i In London, 
when received : my mind in a calm settled frame: 
increasing desires of entire devotedness to God.'] 



120 mARY OF 

July, 8. 

" After having been nearly six weeks in 
London, I am returned \ \ hope and believe, with 
new and increasing desires to love and serve- 
God with all my heart and soul. 

My heart is fixed ; O God ! my heart is fixed 
to be in Christ ; to walk in him, to have the in- 
dwelling of the Holy Trinity. O for that meas- 
ure of this incomprehensible mystery which shall 
produce in me more ardent love, lively hope, and 
active obedience. Religion has heights and 
depths I long to experience. O for a soul on 
fire for these blessings. They are offered to 
me: I will not rest till I attain larger measures 
of them. Let me not rest satisfied with mere 
desires ; but let me, by my importunity, prevail. 
Lord, increase the measure of my faith ; let me 
feel myself nothing, and thou my all. 

I am increasingly sensible that religion is on- 
ly so far a source of peace and happiness as it 
infuses itself into the mind, and becomes there 
the prevailing and active principle : indifference 
is a death blow to it. God wisely whithholds 
his choice blessings from> those who do not seek 
them with their whole hearts. Who that has 
felt the real nature of religion in the soul, as a 
source of peace and renovation, can ever find 
the paltry enjoyments of this world worth seek- 
ing after ?" 



[The following letter shows her views of the 
religious society with whom she had lately joifi- 



MRS, COOPER. 121 

ed, with answers to some objections of her pious 
correspondent.] 

Lower Mall, March 30, 1810. 
My dear Friend, 

" Your last letter, my dearest friend, so long 
in coming, marks me out ra^rjerfrmore contro- 
versial course than lam disposed to take. In- 
dependent of the true affection we have borne 
each other, I should not particularly object to 
a paper controversy with you, as I believe you 
to be more candid and reasonable than the gen- 
erality ofthose who are of your sentiments. But 
we are friends, nor do either of us wish to feel 
less attachment. I believe not— but rather to 
have it on the increase. We must not close 
our eyes, to the many sad examples of Chris- 
tians losing for a while their charity: who, in- 
stead of loving their enemies, have hated the 
friends of Christ who differed from them in 
some polafs of doctrine. — Let us avoid approach- 
ing tharrock on which many, more stable than 
ourselves, have split— T hat the doctrines of the 
Wesleyans are those of the Bible, I am more and 
more convinced: and after an examination of 
them for twelve months, and of the discipline 
and people, I have the pleasure of telling you I 
have joined the society. — To keep me from 
it, I have had every earthly motive ; to unite 
me to it, every spiritual one. 

When we see each other, Mary Ann, I will, if 
you desire it, enter fully into the points wherein 
we differ 5 for your present satisfaction I will, 
h 



1&2 DIARY OF 

however, answer your questions. — Had you 
been acquainted with the sentiments of that 
great and good man, Mr. Wesley, you would not 
have asked them : — You ask me ' If I place 
any dependence on my own performances, as 
being at all able to recommend me to the favour 
of God?' — Not in the least, — justified freely by 
his grace, I must come just as 1 am, poor, blind, 
and naked, or He will never receive me: — but, 
observe, — I believe that sanctification follows — 
the tree is known by its fruits. — « If a man love 
me, he will keep my commandments. 5 Faith 
works by Love; this is the wedding garment. — 
By the fruits of faith I believe you and I shall 
be judged at the last day. Read Matthew chap. 
xxv. — There is no merit in all this. — We are 
first justified by the righteousness of another, 
and all the good we do is owing to the influence 
of the Spirit freely offered and received, but 
which we might have grieved, and quenched, 
and resisted. — As to your second question, 
* Whether God can regard you with fatherly af- 
fection to-day, and the next cast you from him ?' 
I answer, The decrees of God respect men as 
believers and unbelievers; the righteous shall 
be saved, and the wicked condemned, whoever 
they be. — These are the sovereign decrees : — 
but as it respects individuals, personally consi- 
dered, there is this condition implied ; such per- 
sons must become righteous, continue in righte- 
ousness, (by the grace of God) or if they fall 
from it, return again in order to be saved. But 
as God is unchangeable, and doth not love and 
again hate the same person w r hile he continues 
<n the same state, but as he is found doing his 



MRS. COOPER. 1385 

will or the contrary ; so he loves and blesses the 
righteous, and hates all workers of iniquity. 
Should we change a thousand times from bad to 
good, God is the same in his love to us, or the 
contrary, as we are found doing or not doing 
that which he requires of us. While we conti- 
nue in the grace of God, freely imparted, watch- 
ing and praying, loving God with all our hearts, 
none shall pluck us out of the Redeemer's hands; 
nothing shall separate us from his love : But if 
we grow careless, neglectful of prayer and read- 
ing the word of God ; count his service weariness, 
and hold communion with the world instead of 
the Creator, can you think such persons meet for 
the kingdom of Heaven ? These instances, my 
dearest friend, are not uncommon. I do believe 
that if you and I have once received the grace of 
God, it is our own fault, and chargeable alone 
upon ourselves, that we ever lose it. God deals 
with us as with reasonable creatures 5 and cer- 
tain conditions are prescribed to us. We are 
to ask, seek, and knock for the Holy Spirit : 
having received it, we are to ivatch and pray ; 
deny ourselves, abstain from all appearance of 
evil : the power is from above 5 and through 
Christ we can do all these things. I have said 
three times as much as I intended ; forgive 
me, my friend. 

Through the divine influence, I enjoy, with 
little interruption, great peace of mind, — I never 
was so truly happy. I feel that I love God, his 
ways and his will 5 and my happiest moments 
are employed in imploring his continual aid, and 
holding communion with him: Indeed, my dear 



124 DIARY 13 F 

friend. I find the advantage of associating 
but little with that bane of piety, lukewarm 
professors. The true spirit of religion I find 
diffused among our society ; a nonconformity to 
the world, and a loving spirit among its mem- 
bers, helping each other in the paths of religion : 
just what I needed to quicken my poor dead 
soul, sunk as it was in spiritual sloth, and desti- 
tute of that sacred peace the Spirit has promised 
to bestow. — Well, dearest Mary Ann, do not let 
these sentiments and enjoyments, if contrary to 
your own, diminish the love you have borne me ; 
mine for you glows with the same fervour ; and 
I shall have just reason to reproach myself, if 
I suffer the entrance of indifference. All will 
meet in heaven who love God, by whatever 
name they are called : the more we get of this 
divine principle, the more we shall love each 
other. O ! how altogether supernatural is the 
life of God in the soul : how utterly incapable 
are we, of ourselves, to maintain it one instant. 
As our wants are momentary, so must our sup- 
plies be. Blessed be God for all this is promised. 

My dear friend I long to see you, and shall 
be impatient till I hear from you. 

My garden begins to demand my renewed la- 
bours. When will you inhale the fragrance of 
my roses, and help me to admire the kindness of 
our God in providing so much innocent pleasure 
for the delight of the senses ? The study of na- 
ture is still my favourite recreation ; but to in- 
crease in the love and knowledge of God almost 
swallows up every other desire ; and no reading 
h\xX what tends to it satisfies me. Brother Wil- 



MRS. COOPER. ]-Z.f 

liam and I have entered into an engagement to 
rise at six every morning, or forfeit one shilling; 
the fruit of our laziness to be put into a poor box, 
of which I have the disposal. 

Adieu, my dear friend ; be assured you are 
very near the heart of 

Your most affectionate 
MARY \ 

June 14, 1810. 
My dear Mary Ann, 

I believe I never before this time have bad to 
plead an excuse for silenceor neglect; nor, truly, 
have I ever been so little mistress of my own 
time as during the last two months : this alone 
is my apology. 

And now, my dear friend, I have to answer 
your two kind letters; — When shall we meet? 
such frequent disappointment will make me re- 
luctant again to indulge the anticipation of so 
pleasing an event. In the midst of your many 
sorrows, O cleave closely to your heavenly Fa- 
ther, who will sustain you, if you roll your bur- 
den upon him. I know of no source of comfort 
but religion ; and all it affords is yours, if but 
you will by faith make it so. — To those who love 
and fear God, afflictions are blessings ; I believe 
they are sent in mercy to all. How does the 
chastening hand of God tend to produce self-ex- 
amination, and a thirsting after happiness which 
outlives the mutability of earthly things ! it is 
then we feel the world to be vain, and totally 
incapable to afford a resting-place for the mind. 

My dearest friend, let neither of us be satis- 



F26 DIARY OF 

fied without making continual advances in the 
divine \ue ; let us not rest till we have the con- 
stant inhabitation of the Holy Trinity in our 
souls : you know this is promised to all that love 
Christ and keep his words ; for this I feel athirst. 
What then is all the tribulation of the world, if 
divine peace have taken possession of our minds. 
The world is such a vapour ; a bubble ! the 
props of our earthly dependence are so frequent- 
ly taken from us, and so justly too, (that we 
may only lean on omnipotency) that present 
things are hardly worth a serious thought. 

I often think the whole of religion is compri- 
sed in the word love : — the only taste we can 
have of heaven below is, when our hearts are 
sweetly filled with this divine principle. — God 
is love, heaven is love : may our desires^and 
conceptions of this be enlarged ! 

During my visit in Loudon, I enjoyed many 
religious advantages ; there I have become ac- 
quainted with some charming and exemplary 
women in our society. Indeed, there is that un- 
common primitive union among them, that to 
know one, is, if you please, to know all : true 
Christian friendship is in delightful exercise. 
The uncommon activity which these sisters of 
mine manifest, in their daily walk to do good 
both to the souls and bodies of their needy fel- 
low-creatures, will, I hope, prove a stimulant to 
me to go and do likewise. Our blessed Lord 
set us an example that we should follow his 
steps. 

Yours in the truest bonds of 
Christian friendship, 

MARY 



MRS. COOPER. 1£7 



Diary— July 23, 1810. 

To live under the divine influence, to be cast- 
ing fvery care upon my Almighty Guardian, 
to trust him in every difficulty, is happiness, 
is sa/ety. To record all his goodness would re- 
quire the burning love of a seraph : for, Oh, 
his love is manifested every hour of my life : and, 
that I feel no more of intensity of affection in re- 
turn, is my grief. 

Divine Spirit ! fill me with love, empty me 
of self ; bring every power, every faculty into 
subjection to thy will ; and the glory and praise 
shall be ascribed to thee for ever. 

I have made a fresh surrender of myself to 
thee this day, O God. I am not my own, but 
thine; and I desire to act and live as becomes 
one who is a temple of the living God ; to be 
ever mindful that thou seest me; to watch the 
motives of my conduct, and not to rest satis- 
fied without having my very thoughts and in- 
tentions brought into subjection to the will of 
Christ. 

Hammersmith, July 30, 1810. 
My dearest Friend, 
My days of quietness and seclusion seem over. 
Since my sister's marriage I have neither been, 
nor am likely to be, the same settled contem- 
plative being I once was. How is this, say you ? 
JYly friends in London and elsewhere, seem to 
think they have now some claim upon my com- 
pany: so that as often as I can be spared, their 
entreaties lay me under a sort of obligation to 



1£8 DIARY OF 

visit them : hence much of my time will be oc- 
cupied. When at home, my sphere of occupa- 
tion is much enlarged, owing to many new en- 
gagements of a charitable sort which J have felt 
it my duty to undertake and prosecute. — -Love 
to my fellow-creatures makes this a pleasing 
employ, and supersedes what I formerly pursued 
with much intensity, viz. reading and scribbLng, 
Indeed, when 1 do read, I find it necessary, and 
most pleasing to my taste, to read on those sub- 
jects that are stamped with immortality : tlie 
world appears to me such a bubble, and its pur- 
suits such a vain chimera, that my whole soul 
presses forward to a more intimate acquaint- 
ance with that immortality for which it is destin- 
ed ; with that wisdom which will know no end; 
and that love which will glow for ever. 

But however, my dear Mary Ann, no engage- 
ments, no new connexions, will ever diminish 
that true regard I feel for you. Our corres- 
pondence will, I hope, be maintained to our 
mutual profit ; and our prayers for each other 
be often offered up. 

Could I but have you for my companion, my 
incentive to all that is good ; how much woald 
my happiness be increased ! Indeed, I now find 
the time tediously long since we met ; and as to 
an interview the approaching autumn I dare 
not be sanguine. Come, if you can ; but pray 
write frequently, and let not absence in any de- 
gree lessen our true regard for each other : Why 
should it, my beloved friend ? Have we not re- 
ligion to cement the bond of our friendship ? 
and have we not an immortality to perfect and 



MRS. COOPER. 129 

perpetuate it ? What a stimulant is here c In 
death not to be divided !' 

We only live when we live to God. This is 
life eternal ; and if we have the beginnings of it 
here, we shall be prepared to stand firm against 
the shocks of time: nothing shall separate us 
from the love of God. When we look at the 
world, this fleeting scene, mark its changes, 
and feel in our inmost soul its vicissitudes, 
how needful, how glorious is this antidote ! Let 
us, my dear friend, be making continual advan- 
ces in a deep acquaintance with ourselves, and 
our blessed Redeemer ; be growing in that hu- 
mility which shall make us feel ourselves as no- 
thing, and Christ as our all. Our only safety 
consists in a permanent sense of our own weak- 
ness, and of all our strength being derived from 
Him, who is alone the author and finisher of our 
faith. 

J have not time to add more, having a great 
deal to do in a little time. We think of going 
to Bath in October. 
Adieu, my dearest friend. 

Believe me most affectionately and unaltera- 
bly yours, 

MARY . 



Diary— Aug. 24, 1810. 

I went to London the latter end of the first 
week of the Methodist Conference ; it continu- 
ed a fortnight after ; my privileges were very 
great, not only in constant opportunities of hear- 



130 DIARY OF 

ing the preaching; but in having social inter- 
course with many of the most eminent preachers 
for talents and piety. The work is spreading 
gloriously : the spirit of hearing was greater 
than was ever before known in London ; three 
times there was preaching on the outside of the 
City Road Chapel, numbers not being able to 
procure a standing within the chapel. 

I find these means instrumental in stirring 
me up to seek the Lord fully. Many blessed 
instances do I know and see of individuals who 
began their Christian course early in life, and, 
through grace, have been enabled to persevere 
and grow in the knowledge and love of God. 
When I consider religion as the mean of restor- 
ing the lost Image of God to the soul of man, 
bringing the powers and faculties thereof to a 
divine obedience ; regulating the affections, ex- 
alting the motives, purifying the acts ; herein I 
behold means adapted to the end : the impart- 
ing of true happiness to the subject of this grace. 
It is the beginning of heaven, — Glory be to God ! 
all this the Saviour of sinners d'ed to procure. 
It is his will that, justified freely by his death, 
we should be sanctified in body, soul, and spirit, 
by the influence of the Holy Spirit, the Comfort- 
er, c the gift of the Father,' which he promised 
should abundantly descend after his resurrec- 
tion. 

How manifestly then is religion a progress, a 
race, a warfare ! repentance is not the work of a 
day ; every failure on our part demands it : 
watchfulness is the perpetual duty of a Chris- 
tian, that he sin not in his heart against the 



MRS. COOPER. 131 

great God. The inquiry at the close of every 
day should be, how far we have advanced in 
conformity to the divine will, and whether a 
principle of love to the Saviour is the actuating 
motive of our obedience ? 

A remark of Mr. B.'s I wish ever to remem- 
ber and enforce on others i Never to be satisfied 
%vith your religion till it makes you happy.' 9 — 
Daily to walk with God. How earnestly do I 
wish it. I am determined in the divine strength 
to press forward with more earnestness, to keep 
within the veil, as a friend urged me to do ; to 
have more and more the mind that was in Christ 
Jesus ; looking to him for the supply of all my 
need. 

August 27- 
If ever I felt an ardent hunger land thirst af- 
ter righteousness, it has been the past day. — 
Last night I felt powerfully convinced that my 
love to the Redeemer had been too cold ; that 
he, and the salvation he procured, were by far 
too little the object of my faith. I earnestly 
prayed that my whole dependence might be on 
him. This morning 1 felt renewed desires after 
this faith ; my whole soul was engaged ; and, 
to be filled with his righteousness, to have 
truth in my inward parts, to be saved from all 
sin ; how did I thirst for this ! how did I impor- 
tune the Father of mercies ! and. Oh ! how in- 
trusive seemed every object which at all divert- 
ed my soul from these meditations. 1 felt the 
sacred fire of divine love ; all worldly talk and 
desires were intrusive on the calm of my soul. 



132 DIARY OF 

and the aspiration of my desires. The sermon 
this evening just fell in with the train of my 
thoughts this day on purity of heart. Who 
shall circumscribe the Holy One ? — He who 
touches the heart by his Spirit, may so touch it 
as to extirpate sin, and save with this full salva- 
tion, i do believe this. O may I never cease 
to pray for it ; but, under the influence of 
power as boundless as his love, believe and be- 
come a partaker of the divine nature. 

Aug. 29. 

Yesterday my father kindly took me in his 
chaise to London, to see and bid farewell to 
dear Mr. and Mrs. Moore, who purpose leav- 
ing it for Bath on Monday next. The ministra- 
tions of that good man were so much blessed to 
me, that I should ever think it a privilege to love 
and pray for him. 

In the afternoon I spent a few hours at Dr. 
Adam Clarke's, who kindly interested me with 
a sight of some of his superb eastern manu- 
scripts ; the splendour of some of the paintings, 
of Persian poems, and a Koran, far exceed, for 
life and beauty, any thing I ever beheld. En- 
glish productions never so much delighted me. 
In one of these MSS. the sun is represented 
shining in gold, with astonishing effect. The 
Dr. has a superb and most extensive collection 
of books. He afterwards took me into his pa- 
lace, the library; which is almost a museum, 
and contains a large collection of eastern curi- 
osities, two very fine Mosaic pictures, &c. &c. — 
He has in his possession one of the first transh- 



MRS. COOPER. 133 

tions of the Old and New Testament in English, 
written about 1370; he showed me also the first 
edition of the Greek Testament, in the fifth vo- 
lume of the Complutensian Polyglott. His copy 
of this rare Polyglott seems to have come out of 
the Royal library at Madrid ; it is in high pre- 
servation, and has the Spanish arms on the bark 
and sides of each volume. 

How inexhaustible are these amusements, 
which are rational and consonant with religion ! 
what fields of science to explore, which raise the 
mind to wonder and adoration of the Supreme 
Being ! How charming is divine philosophy ! 
Lord, enlighten my understanding; let my views 
be enlarged of thee, and my desires increase to 
know thee and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast 
sent ; that my soul, restored to thy divine Image, 
may have here a commencement of that bliss 
which will be perfected in the regions of endless 
light and felicity ! Amen. 



Sept. 16, 1810. 
This is the twenty-fourth return of my Data] 
day : and, O ! that I could express half that I 
feel, of the goodness of that Being who gave. 
and has preserved my existence amid such count- 
less mercies: all the return I can make, is to 
give myself up wholly to Him, which I desire 
this day to do, more than I have ever done be- 
fore. His law do I love; His commandments 
are my delight, and I desire to have no will 
but His. Accept the poor return, O Lord ; and 

M 



134 DIART OF 

make my heart thy constant abode. I can truly 
and thankfully acknowledge that the last year 
has been the best and happiest of my life. With 
but little interruption, I have enjoyed a sense of 
God's favour ; and have found an increasing 
portion of faith and love : a greater deadness to 
the world ; and a desire to live only to the glo- 
ry of that Saviour, who has called me from dark- 
ness to light : and, while 1 feel the thirst which I 
now do, after all the mind that was in Christ, I am 
certain the Holy Spirit will shed abroad the love 
in my heart, by which I shall be made to de- 
light in his ways. Lord, give me watchfulness 
and faith to look within the veil, that the bless- 
ed inheritance, reserved for those that love thee, 
may be discernible to my spiritual sight; and, 
may I never consider I have attained what is to 
be attained, till the very thoughts of my heart 
are renewed. During the last year, I have 
united myself, I trust, with an indissoluble uni- 
on, to those whom some call the Wesleyan Me- 
thodists. As it regards myself, I bless God 
they were ever brought to this village. That 
they pleach the pure Gospel, my examination 
of the subject leads me to decide. Happi- 
ness is the result of the religion they enforce : I 
have found it so ; and with this people I desire 
to live and die. My improvement, during the 
past year, has not, indeed, been in proportion 
to my opportunities. I have much cause for 
shame. My affections have too often been 
worldly, and my vigilance slack in the pursuit of 
heaven. O may the coming year find me more 
zealously alive ? more importunately anxious in 



MRS. COOPER. 13D 

divine things ; and, if it should please the Lord, 
to remove me to a sphere wherein different re- 
lative duties may be called into exercise, O that 
his Spirit may illuminate and guide, so that my 
light may shine ; and glory to God in the high- 
est, be the effect of my walk and conversation, 
God will direct my paths ; and he will not suf- 
fer me to err while I look to him, and depend 
upon him for direction. My mind has, on this 
subject of promise, been unusually drawn out; I 
have felt confident of parental guidance, and of 
my safety beneath heavenly direction. This 
day, O Lord, I record the goodness of thy name, 
the faithfulness of thy word. O receive me to 
the arms of thy protection : guide me by thy 
Spirit ; and, as I this day solemnly dedicate my- 
self to Thee, take Jesus for my Redeemer, 
and the Holy Spirit for my Sanctifier ; so I de- 
sire to make no reserve, but devote body, 
soul, and spirit, all that 1 have and all that I am, 
to that gracious Being who made me, and has 
the first and only claim. Amen." 

[About this time she received another society 
ticket, on the back of which she has written, — 
' Panting after a full conformity to the Image 
of God; fully convinced, that to love him, with 
all my heart, is my privilege, and shall be my 
prayer.' 

Towards the latter end of the year 1810, a 
most important era in Miss Hanson's life com- 
menced ; her acquaintance with 31 r. John Coop- 
er, of London, which afterwards terminated in 
marriage. Every step she took in this most 
momentous business, was marked with prudent 



V3Q DIARY OP 

caution, extreme self-diffidence, and the hum- 
blest dependence on the direction of God. In- 
deed, the whole of this connexion was conducted 
in such a way as was highly creditable to her 
good sense and piety, and affords an admirable 
model of great Christian simplicity, and highly 
spiritualized affection, on a subject in which these 
are rarely consulted, and in which, above all 
others, they are most necessary. She thus in- 
troduces tlue subject in her Diary ; her letters 
to Mr. C. will explain the rest.] 

Sept. 20, 1810. 

" A circumstance within the last fortnight 
has taken place, with which, it is probable, my 
future happiness is essentially connected. Of 
this 1 am fully satisfied, that it has not been of 
my own seeking, or foreseeing 5 that I have thus 
far acted in the way the circumstances demand- 
ed; and, whatever may be the result, all within 
me now says, i Thy will be done.' 

I never felt such entire submission : I am im- 
pressed with awe; and hardly know how to 
hope. That God in his providence shall be my 
guide, so far as he manifests his ways to me, I 
feel determined. At present it appears to bear 
the impression of his hand : my soul has been 
earnestly and almost incessantly engaged in im- 
portuning his direction, I will follow where 
he leads. I am not my own : into a solemn 
covenant I have entered with Him, to devote bo- 
dy and soul to his service. To live to his glory, 
is the prevailing desire of my heart : how impi- 
ous then, to doubt his care, or question his love ! 



MRS. COOPER. 187 



To Mr. John Cooper. 

H ,Sept. 15, 1810. 

As your favour of the 10th inst. was not re- 
ceived until yesterday afternoon, it will suffi- 
ciently account for any apparent want of atten- 
tion to your request. 

To our knowledge of each other, so recent 
and so unexpected, we may perhaps have to ac- 
knowledge the interference of a divine Provi- 
dence ; at the same time, it demands the greater 
deliberation ; and any thing like haste, or a 
speedy decision, in an affair so momentous in its 
consequences, I feel satisfied you will not re- 
quire. I will, however, assure you, that no prior 
engagement will prevent me from giving } 7 our 
proposal that consideration which I conceive it 
merits. As I trust we are both interested in the 
love and care of a Heavenly Parent, I can cheer- 
fully refer the event to His will, satisfied that He 
will accomplish his own purposes of benignity to- 
wards us. If a more intimate acquaintance 
would promote His glory and our true welfare, 
we should do injustice to ourselves, and to his 
revealed will, to doubt His especial guidance. 

In religious sentiments I dare believe we should 
cordially unite ; and this to me would be a most 
essential requisite ; but in a relation so near, so 
indissoluble, how necessary also is an union of 
disposition, ttyste, and pursuits. How far we 
thus assimilate, personal acquaintance alone can 
evince. 1 iJjoice that you fill a situation, at 
once so honourable and useful, in the Methodist 
Society. May grace and wisdom abundantly 
m2 



1d3 diary of 

descend upon you. I rejoice also to acknow- 
ledge that, although I do not owe my first seri- 
ous convictions to the Society to which I now 
belong, yet to them I am indebted, under the 
divine blessing, for all the real happiness f have 
derived from a celestial source. I find that an 
increasing devotion of all I have, and am, to 
God, is my ardent desire. If it should please 
God, more nearly to unite our interests, I trust 
this would be the one grand and mutual aim of 
our lives. 

I have a dear friend and father (as he kindly 
designated himself) in Dr. H. From a very 
warm solicitude that he expressed for my future 
welfare, particularly on the subject which has 
produced our correspondence, I gave him a pro- 
mise, that I would avail myself of his parental 
kindness in consulting him on any such occa- 
sion. I feel, in such an instance, his friendship 
a privilege, and I hope, through him, my father 
will be made acquainted with your proposal. 
How that will be received I am at a loss to de- 
termine. It will be considered a robbery / and 
in that investigation, which a kind parent natu- 
rally makes for a child whose comfortable set- 
tlement is the main object of his solicitude, you 
may find him a little particular. The motive, 
to a considerate mind, will screen him from un- 
due censure. 

It is probable, Sir, that in the course of the 
following week I shall either see or hear from 
Dr. H. Let us not, however, slacken in our 
diligence, to implore divine direction, that the 
path may be made plain, that the will of the 



MRS. COOPER. i;3U 

Lord may be known, by the occurrence of my 
parents. 1 feel such a tenderness for them — 
such a desire to honour them, in the choice I 
make in life, that you must expect me to be ve- 
ry implicit in yielding to reasonable objections. 
Believe me, with sentiments of Christain regard) 
MARY HANSON. 

To Mr. John Cooper. 

London, Oct. 2, 1810. 

My brother J. yesterday made my father ac- 
quainted with your proposal, who was much 
pleased at my having previously consulted Dr. 
II • He seemed disposed to wait on your friend 
Mr. B. which it is probable he will do to-day. I 
feel satisfied that my dear father will give it a 
suitable investigation, as he received the first in- 
formation without those prejudices which would 
have warped his judgment ; and therefore I must 
refer you to the latter part of my first letter, as 
to the line of conduct I should think it my 
indispensable duty to pursue. 

You must not expect to see me before I leave 
town. Farewell ! May the God of peace dwell 
with vou. 

M. H. 

TO THE SAME. 

Oct. 6, 1810. 

I find my father has been to Mr. B. but as to 

the result of the interview 1 am quite ignorant. 

It is probable Mr. B. can inform you. Allow me, 

however, to request you to defer your intended 



14Q DIARY OF 

visit here, till it shall receive the sanction of an 
authority I am bound to respect and obey. 

We have committed ourselves to the guidance 
of unerring wisdom. It becomes us, therefore, to 
rest satisfied, until the manifestations of his will 
are made known. In this instance, I have the 
fullest confidence that whatever is the result, 
our good will be the consequence. 

M. H. 



To Mr. John Cooper. 



Oct. 20, 1810. 



You so earnestly entreated me to write a few 
lines ere the close of this week, that although I 
have nothing new to communicate, I should not 
feel myself quite justified in not complying with 
your request. 

I think, my dear friend, thus far, we have 
reason to believe, God has heard and is answer- 
ing our prayers. 

1 can most cheerfully refer the future to Him 
who has thus far been mindful of our requests ; and 
as our mutual aim has been the glory of God 
and the best interests of our souls, we may still 
repose under the shadow of that omnipotence 
promised and exerted in our behalf. How in- 
calculablv great are our privileges; our sup- 
ports and hopes are not derived from beings, 
frail, and mutable as ourselves. The Great 
Eternal is engaged on our behalf: He is the 
source and centre of all that soothes the life of 
man. O that we may drink deeper into this 
knowledge, till we are filled with the fullness of 
God. Religion is the only basis of true friend- 



MRS. COOFER. 141 

ship; the only grounds for its perpetuity. 
What a desolate thing is the human heart with- 
out it ! My confidence in you, and in our ac- 
quaintance, has arisen from the assurance 1 have 
that the Spirit of God has made your heart his 
dwelling-place 5 that your best affections are 
devoted to the supreme good; and that if a 
nearer acquaintance should be allotted us, your 
attainments in religion would be as means of 
grace to me. 

As a direct communication is opened between 
you and my dear father, I wish you now to fol- 
low the dictates of your own judgment, without 
consulting me. 

I have just finished the first part of Dr.Clarke's 
Commentary on the Bible ; never did I receive 
so much pleasure and profit from the perusal of 
any thing. 1 intend giving it, with the marginal 
references, a second perusal, 

Our journey to Bath is still quite unsettled. We 
are disappointed of a letter to-day, which we ex- 
pected to decide it. Should I go with my mo- 
ther, my father will be prevented accompanying 
us ; so 1 shall leare you to obtain his consent to 
our correspondence while absent. Iff go 1 shall 
expect to be the bearer of a letter from you to our 
dear friend Mr. M. The thoughts of once again 
seeing him, and hearing him preach, exceedingly 
reconciles me to the idea of leaving home. 

M. If, 



142 DIARY OF 

DIARY. 

Oct. 23, 1810. 

Still, through the grace of God, I am enabled 
to hold on my way rejoicing. I find religion, 
inconceivably beyond my former apprehensions, 
a source and spring of true happiness and peace; 
to which I was a stranger till enabled to give my 
heart up to God, and make his service the pre- 
vailing disposition and delight of my heart. I 
am sensible that every good desire and action 
is alone from the assistance of the Spirit of God. 
I find that I have no strength independent of 
Him ; but glory be to his name, He is at all times 
accessible, and always waiting to be gracious. 
To press foward is my earnest desire ; to know 
nothing but ' Jesus Christ and him crucified/ to 
devote every power and faculty of my soul to 
his service, is the ardent wish of my heart. 
What a burning zeal have I sometimes found, 
to be more actively employed in the service of 
my Lord. I have often besought of God to 
make me an instrument of more extensive useful- 
ness; as inactivity in a Christian, seems to me 
so inexcusable. 

In the course of His unerring providence, 
who is the Overseer of our ways ; a path, I lit- 
tle expected, seems now opening. That ac- 
quaintance which I have before hinted at, which 
1 from the first believed from God, and which 
I most entirely referred to God, appears now 
to be most evidently the work of his providence. 
The mark 1 earnestly besought him to give, it 
now bears ; - the concurrence of my dear parents. 



MRS. COOPER. 143 

No difficulties seem now to oppose onr friend- 
ship. Mr. C. is to be introduced into our family 
on Saturday. 

In no occurrence of my life have I ever so 
decidedly traced the hand of God, as in this. 
This newly acquired friend seems to possess all 
I could desire in the relation likely to result 
from our friendship. Settled and solid piety, 
accompanied by that activity in the cause of re- 
ligion, I so much value ; a well-cultivated and 
good understanding, an amiable and affectionate 
disposition, with the same religious sentiments, 
and connected with the same society as myself. 
As it is from God, 1 trust it will most eminently 
lead to Him, and that a union, formed on such 
a basis, will be of especial use to us and to the 
Church of Christ. My ability and sufficiency 
are alone of God. 

Oct SO, 1810. 

Friday is the day appointed for our going to 
Bath, a visit which I trust will produce much 
profit as well as pleasure ; transient is that 
which only delights the eye and the imagination: 
but when connected with this, the soul receives 
supplies of divine nourishment, is made happy 
by the immediate communication of the Foun- 
tain of all good ; then peace maintains its posi- 
tion, and every thing conspires to make the 
mind joyful. Watchfulness and prayer, how 
perpetually needful ! For the few last days I 
have been much harassed, and very dull and in- 
sensible to divine things. Last night I earnest- 
ly prayed for the restoration of my peace; and 
in some measure found it. I dread lukewarm- 
ness. and never can know peace out of God. who 



144 DIARY OF 

has visited me with so many communications of 
Ms love. Lord, I would make a fresh surren- 
der : let nothing ever interpose betwixt Thee 
and my soul ! I do love Thee above all the 
world!— I anticipate much delight from the 
company of dear Mr. and Mrs. Moore, at Bath ; 
his preaching has often been much blessed to 
me, and his private communications always en- 
livening. I hope, through the blessing of God, 
to acquire fresh strength and vigour in the best 
things, at Bath. I may now maintain an author- 
ized correspondence with my friend Mr. C. It 
has all the earthly approbation I could desire. 
The heavenly benediction will, I trust, emi- 
nently rest upon our acquaintance ; without this, 
we shall in vain look for comfort. If God de- 
sign me to fulfil this important relation, I feel^* 
assured of his heavenly assistance. In knowing 
whence every blessing flows, I can confidently 
look up to Him who will supply my every need. 
May I have faith to receive, and God will bestow. 

Nov. 2, 1810. 
Accompanied by my mother, and brothers 
John and Willam, I left Hammersmith for Bath ; 
where, after a tolerable pleasant journey, we 
arrived about ten at night. 



To Mr. John Cooper. 

Bath, Nov. 5, 1810. 
It is well that so pleasing a resource is left to 
separated friends, and that one's thoughts can 



MRS. COOPER. 140 

be communicated with as much vigour and effect 
at the distance of a hundred miles, as of four ; 
and this surely may be the case, when unreserve 
and sincerity are allowed to exercise themselves. 
This, then, my dear friend, shall be the charac- 
ter of our correspondence : distance now forbid- 
ding personal intercourse, we will endeavour to 
make ourselves known to each other by mental 
discoveries, and try to ascertain how far ' thought 
meeting thought,' the result of preconceived 
opinions gives rational ground of hope, that in 
the closest union no future sources of disquietude 
will arise from a native dissimilarity. My views 
on this subject are by no means common-place ; 
they are the result of a little thought, and much 
observation. With the ordinary lot of connubial 
happiness, I confess to you 1 should not only be 
dissatisfied, but unhappy. From one expression 
of yours, I am led to believe that if this be a 
romantic notion, you also are under its influence. 
Perhaps as believers in the doctrine of Christian 
perfection, we may be forgiven for placing our 
standard somewhat higher than the generality 
of Christians ; and if in this respect we do but 
think and aim alike, I feel convinced our object 
will be attained. Excuse the length of the pre- 
face. 

Through the good providence of God, we had 
a safe and pleasant journey; we reached Bath 
a very little after ten o'clock. On the following 
day we suited ourselves with the apartments 
which we now occupy, commanding the most 
interesting and beautiful view of this city; hav- 
ing in both front and back rooms, an uninter- 

N 



146 DIARY OF 

rupted view of the most luxuriant hills, possess- 
ing the character of Bath, with houses one above 
another. To the south, we view Beacher CliiJ, 
with its hanging woods, the highest hill J have 
seen. The Avon, just beneath our window, 
meanders beautifully along. We are, indeed, 
thoroughly pleased with the situation. Of Bath, 
I can say but little, being much indisposed on 
Saturday. 1 am, however, prepared to believe 
it the most interesting city, by far, I have ever 
seen. As you have been here, I shall not occu- 
py my paper with any further remarks upon it ; 
the tendency of our correspondence being of a 
more important nature. 

I found the services of yesterday peculiarly 
profitable: heard Mr. J. preach, morning and 
evening, and perhaps this enjoyment was in- 
creased by the persuasion I had that you, my 
dear friend, had implored this blessing at the 
hand of God for me. What a privilege to 
have access to the throne of God ! There, all 
we need has been purchased for us by our ado- 
rable Redeemer! My mother and I called on 
Mrs. M. in the afternoon. Mr. M. was in 
Frome ; not expected in Bath till Wednesday. 
I left your letter in the hands of Mrs. M. 
who, I am happy to say, is amazingly recover- 
ed. They knew through Mrs J. we were ex- 
pected at Bath, and I suppose have had a 
hint of something else. Not a word, however, 
passed yesterday. I hope to see Mr. M. 
next Wednesday morning, and to hear him 
preach next Sunday. You must expect me to 
be considerably influenced by his verdict, pre 



MRS. COOPER. 147 

or con. as I apprehend the nature of your inti- 
macy with him has led to a developementof your 
whole soul. The assurances you have given me, 
niy dear friend, certainly have weight, because 
they are from a Christian ; were they from a 
doubtful character in this respect, 1 should re- 
gard them as the necessary consequence of an 
intimacy with such an object in view. They 
always precede marriage $ but, alas ! how seldom 
are they fulfilled after. Although a former con- 
nexion may, in some respects, be objectionable 
to my mind ; yet, as in the instance of yourself, it 
has tended to try you, and to call forth domestic 
qualities ; and, as they were of a nature truly 
worthy of regard; though, alas ! for your hap- 
piness, but of short continuance ; yet that little 
narrative has done more for you in my estima- 
tion, than all i have seen and all A have heard 
besides. Should i ever have an equal place in 
your affections, and find you in all respects what 
1 wish, I will answer for myself, that you and 
the domestic circle, round which I shall revolve, 
will be all the world to me ; and all my endea- 
vours will be to promote and maintain that hap- 
piness, which, by a proper discharge of relative 
and religious duties, is attainable in this life. 
It gives me much pleasure that you have derived 
from the same source that I have, profitable 
pleasure ; n reading. How many hours of ra- 
tional amusement have I enjoyed in this way* 
how often, when I knew nothing of the peace 
resulting from acceptance with God, have the 
little domestic vexations I have met with, been 
borne with patience, from the idea that in my 



148 diart or 

own closet, with my books, I should forget my 
troubles ; and by the relations of days of 
yore, find my heart and imagination fully occu- 
pied. How often did I regard with pity, those 
who knew no happiness, independent of compa- 
ny and the ball-room. These were days of en- 
joyment: but, O my dear friend, of how low and 
changeable a nature, compared with that peace 
which passeth all understanding ! which, through 
the infinite love and grace of God, I have since 
possessed. My brother requests me to walk 
with him. Adieu. I am going to ascend the 
heights to the Crescents. 

Farewell : may the God of love and peace 
dwell with you. How is your health ? Do you 
in general enjoy good health ? My mother thinks 
you look so delicate, that I have had fears. 

Believe me your very affectionate friend, 

MARY . 

To Mr. J. Cooper. 

Bath, Nov. 12, 1810. 

Indeed, my dear friend, I anticipated, and re- 
ceived more pleasure from your last kind letter, 
t han from any of the preceding ones. The con- 
tents were altogether congenial to my mind. 
My hopes and expectations are now alive to the 
solid happiness reserved for us, in the prosecu- 
tion of that acquaintance, so obviously from the 
Father of all good. The conviction of this, in- 
creases upon me by reflection and prayer. — I 
feel, indeed, no doubt, that if it shall please God 
to unite us in nearer bonds, it will be the mean 
of more closely uniting each of us to himself. 



MRS. COOPER* 149 

It is true, indeed, my deficiencies are very great, 
far greater than you apprehend ; but, i help be- 
ing laid upon one that is mighty,' I feel full of 
blissful confidence, that the race I have begun, 
I shall be enabled to run with increasing vigour, 
with the expectation of comprehending more and 
more, by happy experience, the heights and 
depths of love divine. 

i regard true religion as the only source of 
happiness ; and that is an effect produced in 
proportion to the entire surrender we make of 
our hearts, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 
O my dear friend, may this be our daily aim and 
walk through life. Our blessed Saviour, the 
standard of our imitation, who had the happi- 
ness of his creatures only in view, prescribed 
nothing but what here has that tendency. If 
we live under the influence of these hopes and 
endeavours, 1 fear not the fulfilment of my 
most sanguine expectations. Love to God is 
the source of every Christian excellence : and 
surely it was in the exercise of providential love, 
that we were brought to the communication of 
this oneness of opinion. 

By this time, i apprehend Mr. M. has answer- 
ed your letter, the contents of which, I find im- 
parted no ordinary pleasure. For on the re- 
ceipt of it, he, with his amiable wife, knelt down 
and implored the blessing of heaven upon us. — 
How much I felt indebted for this pious instance 
of their regard ! Yesterday, under Mr. M/s 
preaching, i found a renewal of that benefit, I 
invariably experienced at H. from his minis- 
try. — The blessed man was quite alive; and eve- 
n 2 



T50 DIARY OF 

ry sentence reached my heart. In the morning 
he preached from Hab. iii. 2. l O Lord, revive 
thy work V Jn the evening from John iii. : . 7. 
6 Marvel not that I said unto you, Ye must be 
born again.' J hope long, and ever, to feel the 
effects of these sermons ; my strength is renew- 
ed; and, to be more filled with the Holy Spirit, 
is at once my privilege and prayer. The 
chapel was crowded in the evening. Bath is the 
very place for Mr. M.'s abilities to be appreci- 
ated; and, I feel certain, his labours will be 
much blessed. I expect him to call here this 
morning. 

What privileges, my dear friend, we have as 
Methodists ! I find this more and more. Chris- 
tian fellowship being such a powerful mean of 
abstracting us from the world, and making us 
alive to the collective, as well as individual 
privileges of Christians. May every talent en- 
trusted to us be improved a hundred fold ! 

I have just been interrupted by a visit from 
Mr. J. as I was alone, 1 had the pleasure of a 
serious, and interesting conversation with him. 

And so you are going into Lancashire ? Be 
careful of yourself, and do not trifle with colds: 
I hope you will have returned, before we shall 

get back to H . Write punctually, and 

do not let me suffer from your journeying. 
Our continuance here is quite uncertain. I 
hardly think it will be in the whole a month. 

We went to Bristol and Clifton last Thursday, 
and had quite a wet day for our excursion ; ne- 
vertheless, 1 went to see the beautiful St. Vin- 



MRS. COOPER. 161 

cent's Rocks. Such a lovely spot ! We must 
visit it together 

My brother J. has this morning left us. He 
asked me if I had any message ; it is probable 
he will call on you. You are received quite 
with cordiality by my brothers ; and, I be- 
lieve, by all. 

May this friendship, which is thus marked by 
the approbation of earth and heaven, be a con- 
tinual source of thankfulness to each of us. 
May our Christian walk be marked with all that 
can adorn our profession : and Dr. Clarke's de- 
scription* of the original institution, and its 
everlasting design, be realized to us. 

What more shall I say, than express my hope 
and confidence, that God will enable us to be 
what we desire. That we may live to his glo- 
ry, and be continually pressing after all that ho- 
liness, which shall sanctify us throughout, in 
body, soul, and spirit. Animating hopes ! To 
this God of love 1 commend you, and remain 
yours, most affectionately, 

M. H. 

To Mr. John Cooper. 

Bath, Nov. 19, 1810. 

As correspondents, my dear friend, we seem 
to approve of each other very well. I trust the 
same coincidents will manifest themselves in all 
we do ; and, that a growing similarity will be 
the result of a daily Christian walk. You have 
had painful experience of the uncertain tenure of 

* Commentary on Genesis, chap. ii. 



152 DIARY OF 

earthly blessings ;* it is a lesson we shall all 
learn ; 'the spider's most attenuated thread, is 
cord, is cable, to man's slender tie, on earthk 
bliss/ Unless things of heavenly substance en- 
gross our best affections, Our Father, who is in 
heaven, will remind us, that he is a jealous 
God, Thus, watching unto prayer must be our 
constant bent of mind — O, how needful ! Our 
dear friend, Mr. M. on Saturday, when I saw 
him, desired me to present his love to you, and 
say, ' You are now in danger, that you have 
need of much watchfulness.' Can you interpret 
his meaning ? he addressed me to the same ef- 
fect. Our intimacy began well: for my own 
part, I never in any instance felt such an entire 
surrender of my own will, nor so ardent a desire 
that God only might be glorified : and, when 
at one time a dark cloud hovered over the open- 
ing prospect, which I could not at all penetrate, 
a sense of the omnipotence of that Being, who 
was my hope and confidence, dissipated all 
doubt from my mind. I knew he would accom- 
plish his own designs. O, the happiness of hav- 
ing the Almighty Jehovah for our friend ! May 
our love and confidence in him increase. 

My sister expresses herself as quite delighted 
with your dear little girl. I am rejoiced to find 
that there is already the bud of so much excel- 
lence, ' a quickness of apprehension, united to 
great sweetness of temper.' I am pleased that 

* Alluding to Mr. C.'s former wife, a very amiable and 
excellent woman, who died about twelve months after 
their marriage. 



MRS. COOPER. 153 

you are to have the credit of rationality, in 
what is already conspicuous in your instructions 
of the little dear. I much desire to see her. 

M. H. 

To Mr. John Cooper. 

Bath, Nov. 26, 1810. 

This will, I hope, find you safely restored to 
the enjoyment of your own fire-side ; where a 
new Ebenezer of praise has, no doubt, been 
erected to that God, who, by the guardian influ- 
ence of his angels, may have defended you from 
all evil. To owe protection to his love, is to 
have every blessing blessed. You ask for a long 
letter; I will endeavour not to disappoint 
you, but as I am much indisposed, having a 
a soar throat, and rather an increasing degree 
of fever, you will excuse me if necessity should 
compel me to abandon my present intention; 
indeed, there is so intimate a union between our 
♦corporeal and mental powers, that that which 
gives us sensibility of suffering, suffers also. 
Should I be a little gloomy, you will know to 
what cause to impute it. It is a very stormy day 
too; perhaps the vapours, which must condense 
the atmosphere, may unite their influence to 
cloud my mind ; and yet peace, the kind boon of 
heaven, does pervade my Spirit. It is often assail- 
ed, sometimes powerfully, by outward causes : 
but the prospect of unclouded bliss, like the sun 
as yet beneath the horizon, cheers me in this 
world. 



154 DIARY OF 

I cannot suppose that any thing can give me 
real pleasure that is not connected with religion. 
My understanding (as well as affections; is so 
powerfully convinced of its testimony, that I 
cleave to it as to a strong hold, and firmly be* 
lieve our happiness keeps pace with our holiness. 
At times I feel a little overpowered with the re- 
sponsibility which attaches itself to my future 
character. You, my dear friend, have expecta- 
tions too highly raised ; I must check you, as I 
would some others of my too partial friends. 

I was much affected in hearing of the ap- 
proaching dissolution of your pious friend. 
Though, indeed, the death-bed of such a man 
cannot produce unmixed sorrow ; angels wait- 
ing to conduct the happy Spirit to the sight of 
those joys, which so long had been beheld as 
through a glass darkly. I have ceased to en- 
tertain curious speculations on the nature and 
employments of the heavenly world. My own 
experience tells me, that to be for ever free from 
sin, to know no interruption to a perfect love to 
God, will be heaven to me : I can anticipate no 
higher. I enjoyed a sweet foretaste of this one 
morning last week, and sunk deeper into my own 
nothingness, and had fuller views of Christian 
holiness, than I ever had before O my dear 
friend, ' my willing soul would stay in such a 
frame as this ; ? but, alas! its continuance is too 
short ; and I think my volatile nature will ever 
oppose itself to those permanent enjoyments : 
yet, even a glimpse should be matter of earnest 
thankfulness. It proves such a cordial ; and 
even the recollection of it, excites the hope that 



MRS. COOPER. I5!> 

these ( angel visits, few and far between,' may 
hereafter prove more frequent and more per- 
manent. 

I heard Mr. M. preach twice yesterday. In 
the morning I think he made one of the great- 
est and deepest sermons I ever heard, from John 
viL 9, 10. relative to the intercession of Christ, 
and the salvation of those whom the Father gave 
him. You know this is one of the strongest 
holds of our opponents, the Calvinists Our view 
of the subject he admirably, and, I think, unan- 
swerably, defended. It was a sermon I should 
much like to possess ; and I intend to ask the 
favour of Mr, M. to write me a general view of 
that part of the subject. 

The sun now shines ; and I feel better than 
J did when I began, less inconvenience from my 
throat. 1 however fear this letter will not much 
interest you ; but you know when a correspon- 
dence is undertaken, it is for ' better and for 
worse ;' and while it is a faithful portraiture of 
the mind, the effects of clouds, as well as sun- 
shine, will be visible. This being a state oUrial^ 
our happiness here will have an alloy : what 
need of Christian armour, if we were never to 
be assailed by foes ? While we follow on to 
know the Lord, victory is certain, and heaven 
our sure reversion. May we thus prove excite- 
ments to each other, and ' square our useful lives 
below, by reason and by grace.' 



M. H. 



156 JMARY OF 

To Mr. John Cooper. 

Bath, Dec. 3, 1810. 

I am willing to believe, my dear friend, that 
the correspondence our separation has occasion- 
ed, has not only been a pleasure, but has tended 
to enlarge our knowledge of each other; and to 
lay open future probable sources of reciprocal 
happiness, should it please God so to perpetuate 
our friendship. < True love strikes root in rea- 
son ;' and certainly where the understanding is 
suffered to lie dormant, and the affections alone 
act and are supreme, such an attachment would 
be exposed to ten thousand variations ; and at 
length, perhaps, to an almost total extinction. 
May I not venture to believe that an assimi- 
lation in understanding, sentiments, and aims, 
exists between us 5 and that the love of God will 
prove an indissoluble bond to our union. Earth- 
ly relations, of course, cease in heaven ; but I 
believe the most purified affections will subsist 
among all the redeemed, and that ' we shall 
know even as we are known.' This state, my 
dear friend, is but the infancy of our being. In 
reference to this idea, let us live and act, and 
anticipate full draughts of that bliss, which here 
we only taste. 

Should I ever fall short of the expectations my 
letters have raised in your mind, 1 will give you 
leave to advert to them, and reprove me thus ; 
neither will i ever rebel against your lordly pre- 
rogative, while you render the yoke easy by the 
fulfilment of your part of the story. The apos- 



MRS. COOPER. li>7 

tolic exhortations will furnish us with our orders, 
which are never given without arms. 
' Need I tell you that I consider our correspond- 
ence of the most confidential nature ; its avowed 
object has excited a freedom in my remarks, 
which the sincerity we both professed to adopt 
on the outset, has justified. As it is now draw- 
ing to a close, I wish you to give a direct an- 
sicerto both my last letters, and tell me honestly 
whether you have an unabated and entire confi- 
dence that 1 shall possess as large a share of 
your affections as your much-loved Margaret ? 
This is indispensable to your happiness and mine ; 
and, perhaps, it shall be the last time 1 will ever 
teaze you with the interrogation. Much less 
would have been said on the subject, had I not 
a fixed aversion to the idea of plunging myself 
into the varied and multiplied cares and anxie- 
ties of a married life, wrthout the most positive 
expectation of possessing the entire confidence 
and affections of him to whom I should so awful- 
ly entrust my future all. Indeed I have frequent 
misgivings of heart, and I am so locally at- 
tached to H , that I wonder 1 ever listened 

to a proposal which could personally alienate me 
from it. If it be of God, it shall be for good : — 
and this is my confidence. 

It remains for you, my dear friend, to close 
our Bath correspondence. 1 shall expect a long 
letter, in gratitude for receiving two. 

I have enjoyed Bath upon the whole very 
much : and shall feel considerable regret in leav- 
ing some kind friends. I trust I have been 
o 



15S DIARY OP 

making some advances in the divine life. I cer- 
tainly feel more of my deficencies, and more di- 
vine power has attended my meditations on the 
Scriptures ; but, O how many unprofitable hours 
have I spent ! indeed, there is so much idleness 
consequent on visiting these places, that my con- 
cience has often reproached me for it. 

Last Friday I took a most delightful walk on 
the banks of a canal, which runs parallel with 
the river Avon. The uncommon beauty of the 
scenery, heightened by the loveliness of the day, 
urged me on to a considerable extent. I had so 
much exceeded my ordinary bounds of a walk 5 
that when I reached home I was completely ex- 
hausted with fatigue. I walked fast, without 
any intermission, for three hours, for which te- 
merity I was close prisoner on Saturday, almost 
lamed with fatigue. My object was to reach a 
place I had heard of, where the canal crosses the 
river Avon, rather a curiosity, which I did not 
accomplish. I have had some sweet solitary 
walks. I hope you are an admirer of the 
works of nature ; and do not despise occasional 
enthusiastic raptures in the contemplation of His 
works, in the least of which the Deity is so con- 
spicuous : lam sure you do not. You enjoy 
poetry too. I have so long received pleasure 
from the resources of my own mind, and am so 
entirely out of debtto external sources of amuse- 
ment, that I am almost miserly in cherishing thr 
channels through which these silent, unobserved 
enjoyments have flowed, 



MRS. COOPER. 10!J 

How sublimity is heightened, my dear friend, 
when we can c lift to heaven anunpresumptuous 
eye, and smiling, say, My Father made them all.' 
As a friend said to me, the other day, we can 
never truly bless God for our creation, till we 
can for our redemption. Enabled to do this, 
my clear friend, our lives should be a tribute of 
praise. ,? 

M. H. 



[The following Letter, written to her father, 
in reference to this subject, is at once a fine 
proof of her good sense, deep piet} r , and pro- 
found filial respect and gratitude.] 



Bath, Dec. 3, 1S10. 

My very dear father, 

" Your truly kind and invaluable letter of yes- 
terday demands an early acknowledgment. I 
cannot express the half of what I felt on read- 
ing its interesting contents — My sensations were 
those of mingled love and gratitude for so un- 
expected a proof of your affection — Had you, 
in any of your previous letters, expressed a wish 
to hear from me, I should certainly have com- 
plied with it : though I could not but feel a de- 
gree of backwardness in adverting to a subject 
you have so kindly noticed. 



160 DIARY OF 

Home now begins to wear a desirable aspect ; 
where, upon the whole, my dear mother would 
rather embrace you than subject you to the fa- 
tigue of so long a journey for the pleasure of 
spending only a few days here — On Saturday- 
morning, if it please God, we hope to see you : 
• — and in a few weeks I trust it will be apparent 
that my mother's health has been obviously ben- 
efited by the change of air and w r aters, — the 
good effects of which, I believe, are seldom im- 
mediately discernible. 

I am much concerned to find, my dearest 
father, that you continue so very lame, but tru- 
ly thankful that your now almost necessary con- 
finement at St. James' has been so much miti- 
gated by the solid satisfaction arising from an 
experimental acquaintance with divine truth — 
It is consolatory to believe we can be engaged 
in no conflict, however severe, in which our spi- 
ritual weapons are not fully adequate to the con- 
quest.-r-It is when we trust to our own strength 
that the world obtains the victory. — I most. sin- 
cerely wish that circumstances may allow of 
your losing no opportunity of hearing dear Mr. 
Fry, for whose ministerial labours, we, as a fa- 
mily, have so much cause of thankfulness 

I never had the pleasure of receiving but one 
letter from my dear father, besides the one \ am 
now acknowledging; and L feel emotions of 
gratitude to God in contrasting the period in 
which that was written with the present. — At 
that time you, with parental tenderness, were 
warning me against that gaiety of disposition I 



MRS. COOPER. 1G1 

then manifested, and those antichristian pursuits 
after which I was so eager. 
r To divine grace alone am I indebted for that 
entire alteration of hopes and aims, and for that 
blessed foretaste I often enjoy, of the rest which 
in heaven remains for me. — May you and I, my 
dearest father, feel more and more, that our Re- 
deemer has purchased for us sanctification as 
well as justification; and that the implantation 
of a new nature makes his service our delight 
and perfect freedom. 

I hope I feel truly grateful for that kind inter- 
est you manifest in regard to my future pros- 
pects, arising from a connexion, which, if sealed 
with a solemn perpetuity, will remove me from 
under the eye and roof of my dear parents, of 
whose kind and fostering care I shall have so 
many pleasing recollections. — My dear father, 
I feel the importance of the step ; but I feel al- 
so a hope bordering on confidence, (hat that 
gracious Being, who overrules all events, and 
has expressly promised to guide those who trust 
in him, has, in this instance, manifested his will, 
I believe too there is every rational ground to ex- 
pect domestic comfort. 



New relations will, I hope, never alienate my 
affections from old ones. — For your many prayers 
I feel inexpressibly grateful ; and have long act- 
ed on the idea, that the best return I can make 
o2 



16£ DIARY OF 

is by constantly remembering my father at this 
same throne of mercy. 

Believe me, my very dear father. 

Your most dutiful snd affectionate 
daughter, 

MARY HANSON. 



DIARY. 

Dec. 7. 

Indeed I shall have much reason to recall to 
mind my visit to Bath ; it has been, upon the 
whole, very profitable to me. Added to the 
benefit J have found in divine ordinances, the 
letters of my dear friend have much tended to 
excite me to seek, with him, a. full salvation. 

Our acquaintance is from God : I feel it so, 
more and more: with this impression can I, in 
a spiritual sense, expect too much, or feel too 
thankful ? Emotions of regret I shall feel in 
leaving Bath. In departing from a place where 
pleasure has been received; the uncertainty 
of ever more beholding it, casts a mournful emo- 
tion ov er the soul. A stray tear will flow down 
the cheek ; this I have always found ; and there 
are sensibilities of the soul, which I would not fore- 
go for all the stoical firmness in the world. The 



MRS. COOPER. 1G3 

passions, when they are refined and sanctified 
by true religion, are sources of pure delight. 

Christmas Day, 1810. 
The return of this day interests me much in 
a two- fold point of view; 1. as the season in 
which the most extraordinary event which ever 
took place in this world, is celebrated. The na- 
tivity of the God-Man, is the birth of every hope 
fallen nature could have, of a restoration to the 
lost favour and image of the Deity. A contri- 
vance of satisfying the divine justice, which could 
alone originate in the divine mind. By it we 
have entrance into the Holy of Holies ; and the 
gates of heaven are thrown open, to receive all 
who in truth receive this incarnate Saviour into 
their hearts. 

As a second motive, ought I not to hold the 
return of this day in solemn and grateful remem- 
brance ? on the past one, 1809, having received 
a sweet manifestation of my interest in the fa- 
vour of God ; when all my doubts and fears 
were dissolved, and my soul swallowed up in de- 
votion and aspirations after God, Blessed be 
God, the witness he gave still remains ; and on 
this day I gratefully record, that my desires are 
greater than ever, to be altogether the Lord's. 
'Tis true, alas ! my attainments bear no propor- 
tion to my privileges ; and but for the infinite 
merits of that atonement Jesus made, I should 
have just cause to fear rejection from the favour 
of God. But he knows my frame, and remem- 
bers I am but dust ; and he accepts my sincere 



164 DIARY OP 

desires to be his, and my ardent longings after 
full conformity to the divine image : for this end 
I surrender myself this day; and, feeling m 
utter dependence on divine aid, and my nativ 
helplessness, ' looking unto Jesus, 1 I trust I shall 
become more than conqueror over all my foes. 
The last night was so exceedingly tempestuous, 
that I could not sleep: but never did I find 
wakefulness so profitable ; never were my noc- 
turnal meditations so sweet. While the raging 
tempest made me to hear and feel the Deity 
abroad, and contemplate his judgments which 
are now so evidently manifested in the earth ; I 
could not help contrasting the thunder of his 
power, with the Babe in Bethlehem. It was 
by the Word all things were made: ' and the 
Word became flesh, and dwelt among us/" — - 
He made the world by his word, and man by his 
breath ; yet to redeem him he must leave the 
Heaven of heavens, assume our nature, and in 
that nature bleed ! thence I took a survey of the 
world; of the negligence and general indifference 
to this stupendous fact : men closing their eyes 
to this light, and wantonly choosing that place, 
where hope never comes. That God should, in 
indignation, pour out the vials of his wrath 
against the children of men, who do despite to 
the precious blood of Christ, I marvelled not \ but 
rather felt amazed at the long-suffering of God. 
Those who will not listen to the still small voice 
of his mercy, may expect to hear and bear the 
thunder of his wrath. 

But when I looked on myself, and found in my 
heart a humble hope that I was accepted through 



MKS. COOPER. 1GJ 

this Incarnation: when 1 could appeal to the 
cher of hearts, and say, ' Thou knowest all 
tnings, thou knowest that 1 love thee.' O then, 
how little to be dreaded, is all that this earth 
can do ? what is its power contrasted with His, 
< who taketh up the isles as a little thing, and 
has engaged himself in my behalf? 

Jan. 22, 1811. 
Towards the close of last month I went to 
London ; and only returned here about a week 
ago. hi no other place do I ever feel at home 
to write; so that I have, by my absence, missed 
recording some sweet and profitable seasons I 
enjoyed when in town. At the commencement 
of this new year, L joyfully renewed my covenant 
with God; and was earnest in supplicating his 
grace to enable me to walk more closely, more 
usefully, this year, (should I be spared,) than 
the last. It seems indeed probable, that a more 
enlaged sphere of activity will, ere long, be 
opened for me. That gracious Being whose I 
am, will, I doubt not, afford me grace to do his 
will. At the renewal of the covenant i was at 
Queen Street chapel; at this most solemn and 
obligatory ordinance I found the presence of 
God The Lord's Supper was after administer- 
ed, of which I and my dearest friend at once 
partook. To be loved by one so decidedly the 
Lord's is an unlooked-for providence ; and I 
have frequently, on a review of the various cir- 
cumstances leading to our present interesting in- 
timacy, been constrained to acknowledge and 



166 DIARY OF 

bless the hand of God ; at times, when I have 
hesitated to do this, I believe the instigation was 
from Satan ; for I have invariably found, that 
when my mind has been most occupied with re- 
ligion, I have loved and regarded my friend the 
most; and have anticipated with delight the 
probability of our being helps to each other in 
the way to heaven. Every succeeding interview- 
increases my value for his character : and my 
conviction, that he who numbers the hairs of our 
heads, appointed us for each other. 

1 enjoyed last Sabbath exceedingly ; Mr. 
Griffith preached; and it was much blessed to 
my soul : I went in expectation that it would be 
so. 

April 20, 1811. 
Having spent the chief part of the winter in 
town, at my sister's, in consequence of her con- 
finement, I have been taken off my usual and 
settled plan of occasionally writing the state of 
iny mind. 1 somewhat regret it, having found 
it a very profitable and interesting record of my 
experience. Ten thousand blessings that I have 
in this instance received, have, I trust, made aa 
indelible record in my memory. 

A present God, a satisfying portion, and de- 
sires more ardent to be altogether the Lord's, to 
be growing up into his likeness, these have in- 
deed been prominent desires and endeavours, 
though occasionally clouded over with unbelief, 
and obstructed by Jukewarmness. ' He knows 
my infirmities, and remembers I am but dust.' 
J have, at times, had delightful anticipations of 



MRS. COOPER. lb"7 

heaven ; of enjoying there a full draught of that 
living water of which I have just had a taste; 
and of having a growing love and knowledge 
throughout eternity. 

I have found -particular benefit from a practice 
suggested by ray dear G. of reading the same 
chapter with him daily. We began (Jan. 26.) 
the Gospel of St. Matthew ; and selected one 
verse, in writing for our day's meditation. This 
I have found very profitable, though too often 
careless in the observance of it. In reading" 
this blessed book on my knees, and with a simple 
desire of having my eyes opened by the Spirit of 
God, to discover and impress its important con- 
tents on my heart, 1 have found it sweeter to my 
taste than honey, and could say with David, 
* In thy word do I delight.' I find need of watch- 
ing against formality in it, and suffering it t& 
degenerate into mere custom. 

In this and our mutual engagement, at ten 
o'clock, to pray for each other, the Lord has 
often blessed our souls. O ! for more importu- 
nity, for more wrestling for ' all the mind that 
was in Christ Jesus.' 

The Lord's Supper was much blessed to me 
last Sabbath. I found at the altar the spirit of 
self-dedication, and of importunity, for poverty 
of spirit and purity of heart. I bless God that 
I always feel restless and uneasy when my soul 
is not alive to him. 

To-morrow we expect 'Dr. Clarke here ; and 
i look forward with hope of receiving much 
blessing 5 his preaching having, invariably, been 
made so very useful to me-. 



168 DIARY OF 

April 25, 1811. 
iV I was much profited by Dr. Clarke's sermon 
last Sunday morning, from 1 John v. 11,12.-— 
He dwelt much on the life of God in the soul 
through the influence of Jesus Christ ,• whose im- 
mediate energy, he said, is as necessary to support 
the spiritual life, as the power of God, in whom 
we live, move, and have our being, is to the 

support and continuance of our natural life. ■ 

That which, before the fall, constituted the hap- 
piness of Adam — union with God ; is as essen- 
tial now as ever, and must be restored by the 
life of Christ within us. As the body cannot 
exist without the soul, neither can the life divine, 
without Christ. It is He who gives the principle 
of life, and maintains it : and His influence is 
as necessary to maintain the spiritual life of the 
soul, as it is to preserve the being and harmony 
of the creation. He spoke much on the witness 
of the Spirit, as essential to the peace and sta- 
bility of the Christian ; and as the only means 
of precluding tormenting doubts and fears. 

The Doctor met the Society after evening 
preaching, in which he said many very forcible 
and persuasive things ; and from which 1 derived 
fresh vigour, and renewed determination to re- 
double my diligence in the heavenly race. How 
deeply do I feel myself indebted to God for so 
much blessing my union with the Methodists. I 
have enjoyed this day, much love to God, and 
delight in contemplating his name and nature, 
and in anticipating that ' glory which no period 
knows.' I have read my title clear, and long 
for that day when this mortal shall have put on 



MR5. COOPER. 169 

immortality 5 and when my soul shall l soar 
without bound, without consuming glow.' 

blessed Fountain of love ! fill my heart 
more with this divine principle ; sink me lower 
in the depths of humility, and let me sit at the 
feet of Jesus and learn of him. Enlarge my soul, 
that I may better contemplate Thy glory ; and 
may I prove myself Thy child, by bearing a re- 
semblance to Thee, my Heavenly Father ! 

April 30, 1811. 

1 Thou knowest all things, Thou knowest 
that I love Thee,' and that 1 desire, above every 
thing this world affords, to have the constant tes- 
timony that 1 walk so as to please Thee. 

To have all my thoughts, words and works, 
sanctified to Thee ; to feel the living principle 
of faith, and a habitual converse with spiritual 
and unseen things, divesting my mind of 
earthly prejudices and mere earthly affections, 
how great a blesssing ! O thou, who hast in- 
spired these desires, and excited these ardent 
longings for the constant indwelling of the 
Holy Spirit $ answer me, according to thy word : 
Thy word, which is truth itself; immuta- 
ble as Thy glory : eternal as thy duration. O 
that on it my soul may repose. 

When Thy love refreshes my spirit, and my 
ejes overflow with tears of joy in the conviction 
tbat Thou art mine, how poor and how con- 
temptible are all earth-born joys! When the 
soul feels its freedom, and exults in its immortal- 
ity ; the world and Satan tempt in vain. I feel 
inexpressibly thankful to that Being, who is the 
p 



170 DIARY OF 

Author of ail the happiness I enjoy; that He 
continues to manifest himself in such lovely, 
endearing characters to my soul. And never 
did I feel, more than I do at this time, the im- 
portance and beauty of religion. 

I have no enjoyment in whatever tends to di- 
vert my mind from these contemplations. When 
I read, it must be on subjects connected with 
what 1 most love — God, in nature, providence, 
and grace ; an endless scope for reading and 
meditation ! Yes, I have seen a glimpse of His 
glory, whom my soul loveth. For that purity 
of heart, which God only can bestow, shall be 
my never-ceasing prayer. 

1 could I lose myself in Thee, 
Thy depth of mercy prove, 
Thou vast unfathomable sea 
Of inexhausted love/ 

May 1, 1811. 
The more I know of my own heart, the more 
deeply I feel the want of humility. When this 
heavenly grace has taken deep root in my soul, 
the fruits of the Spirit will grow in larger abun- 
dance upon it. It is for want of this, that when 
my opinions are controverted, and my judgment 
called in question, that I feel an inward impa- 
tience, though spared the outward expression of 
it ; and as I have to do with a God who searches 
the heart, so I would be as vigilant over the in- 
ward motions of corruption, as of my exterior 
deportment. I want inward holiness.*— 



JURS. COOPER. 171 

* A lie art in every thought renewed, 
A copy, Lord, of Thine.' 

My religion must be visible by its effects, not 
by parade and show, but by humility of soul, 
meekness of spirit, purity of intention. There- 
fore religion must be 3 with me, the work of 
every moment. 

This, indeed, will tend rather to capacitate 
me for the proper fulfilment of all my lawful 
avocations $ not, as some falsely say, unfit the 
mind for the duties of life. God demands a 
reasonable service ; and, while he calls to dili- 
gence in business, he will bestow grace to pro- 
duce fervency of spirit. O God, raise me from 
the ruins of the fall ! I only live when I live to 
Thy glory. I only am happy when I can call 
Thee mine 5 and exult in the prospect of enjoy- 
ing thee for ever. I have ever found Thee faith- 
ful ; I never sought Thee with my whole heart, 
without being answered as by fire. O let that 
fire descend and consume all my sins, that those 
enemies of my Lord may have no place in me. 
I cannot question that love which moved Thee 
to leave the abodes of glory, and to veil thyself 
in suffering humanity for me ; nor that Omnipo- 
tence which said, ' Let there be light, and there 
was light.' Who then shall limit the Hob 
One of Israel ? With Thee, all things are pos- 
sible ; even the full restoration of the lost image 
of God in my soul. 

May 4. 
I have lately been led to reflect much on the 



172 / DIARY OF 

advantage of knowledge in religion : by this, I 
mean not only an acquaintance with its doc- 
trines, but a well digested view of its gradual 
developement, from the first promise given to 
Adam, till Jesus Christ; made plainer and 
plainer as it flowed down the river of time : 
with a comparison of this religion, with all the 
rest that have ever appeared, and swayed the 
hearts and judgments of men. In addition to 
this, when we regard its adaptation to supply 
our wants, to impart food to that immortal 
principle within us ; ever craving for what the 
earth cannot give, Religion liberally opens her 
treasures, and gives the expectant soul the hope 
and promise, that even here she may be 6 filled 
with all the fulness of God.' 

I must differ from an opinion I have frequent- 
ly heard expressed, and once adopted, that the 
poor (that is, the ignorant) enjoy religion most. 
That many of them do enjoy it in a blessed 
degree, my own observations confirm ; and, 
that the peculiar circumstances of many call 
more for the simple exercise of faith, for the 
supply of their daily wants, I also believe ; and 
many happy proofs are recorded in their expe- 
rience of God's fulfilling his promises in this 
respect. But the believer, with an improved 
understanding and a correct judgment, who, at 
the same time, receives the kingdom of God as 
a little child, with all that simplicity so essen- 
tially connected with genuine conversion ; while 
he maintains this child-like spirit, and has a 
growing enlargement of mind, consequent upon 
his frequent communion with God, and his na~ 



JiKS. COOTER. 173 

lure and his works. — This is, in my apprehen- 
sion, the happiest Christian ; and in proportion 
as he regards religion as the one thing necessa- 
ry to his happiness, and is jealous over every 
other enjoyment, in which it is not the princi- 
pal ingredient, so will be his stability. And 
thus his advances will be marked with its genuine 
characters. 

Religion is addressed to the judgment, as 
well as to the heart; it should be interwoven 
with all our moral perceptions ; and, while it 
lays claim to the affections, it should have the 
hearty concurrence of the understanding. This 
I wish to enforce upon myself 5 and to look well 
how far these observations incorporate with my 
real state and present experience. 

To a want of this I cannot but impute the 
many failures in the religious life, which so fre- 
quently occur, of persons, who for a while 
were warm and zealous, and bidding fair for 
usefulness, suddenly relaxing in their energy, 
and becoming ciphers, if they outwardly conti- 
nue professors in the Church of Christ. 

Those who look for eminence in any science, 
use the means for becoming eminent ; and ail 
their exertions tend towards the promotion of 
their object : — so in the Christian life. To be 
what God calls us to be, we must use diligence, 
and let it be the paramount desire of our whole 
lives. 

May II. 
Of what importance is experience in religion ! 
In every branch of science it is considered a 

Y 2 



174 DIARY OF 

necessary qualification. As to a physician, or 
an artist without experience, the advice of the 
one would be received with little confidence, 
and the productions of the other would be re- 
garded with suspicion. Eminence, the result 
of experience, would be expected in neither. 

What then is religion without it ? How can 
the promises be received or applied, if the af- 
fections be not in exercise ? and surely, love to 
God must excite emotions, near in resemblance 
and effect, to those we feel towards a beloved 
earthly object. The mind delights to dwell on 
an image which occupies the heart. How soli- 
citous to please; — how fearful to offend ; — how 
prompt to active proofs of the sincerity of its 
profession : with what impalience and indigna- 
tion are slanders and evil speaking borne, to- 
wards the absent object of our affection. 

By analogy then, would I try how far my 
love to the Supreme Good, will bear this test. 
Alas ! the proofs are faint and feeble, though 
sincere. O, for more love, is my constant 
prayer. Religion, without experience, is like 
the body without the soul ; like the moon, which 
imparts light, but no heat. The plants engen- 
dered by the solar ray, would droop and die, 
were they forsaken by its influence, and left to 
the cold, cheerless light of the pale luminary. 
So j were I to relapse into that state of mere 
speculative belief, or to the unassisted powers 
of my own reason, which (after- having experi- 
enced something of the power of religion) I 
once fell into; so would those affections which 
now, in some degree, though faintly glow with 



MRS. tUOPEK. 1 / ./ 

love to God, be frozen into indifference. i If 
Thou withdraw, 'tis night.' 

Sun of Righteousness, cause Thy rays to 
descend upon my heart, and scatter every thing 
which would oppose Thy warm and invigorat- 
ing influence ! 

Experience in another view is so important : 
it is to the heart demonstration ; and to the 
judgment it stamps divinity on the word of God. 
If the result of true faith, be 'joy and peace in 
believing, ' and my experience hears testimoic 
to the validity of this, what further proof can i 
wish of its divine origin and tendency ? And 
surely we may rationally have this internal con- 
sciousness, and be as certain of it as of am 
thine that affects our external senses. When I 
am under the influence of joy, could the force 
of any argument persuade me that sorrow tills 
my heart ? O no. Religion does not eradicate, 
but it refines and exalts the passions : and en- 
listing this noble part of our nature into its scr- 
vice,bv the renewing and sanctifying influences 
of the Holy Spirit, causes those aflections, na- 
turally placed on forbidden and unworthy ob- 
jects, to soar and centre in heavenly themes ; 
and gives the hope and promise that our hearts 
are so capable of a divine renewal, as to ' b^ 
filled with all the fulness of God.' 

May 26, Sabbath Day. 

1 went to chapel this morning, with the earn 
est desire and full persuasion that God would 
there bless me : my hope and expectation havr 
not been in vain 5 for, during Mr. Griffitl 



176 DIARY OF 

sermon,' from John xv. 26. my soul was drawn 
out in ardent longing for that glorious deliver- 
ance from all sin, which he so clearly showed to 
be the privilege of believers, and to be obtain- 
ed only through faith in Christ. O, it is for this 
1 pant, and without it, my soul looks in vain 
for happiness. This can be found only when 
the Spirit takes up his abode in the heart. This 
blessing appears to me so fully expressed from 
these words of our Lord, i If ye keep my com- 
mandments, ye shall abide in my love ; even as 
I have kept my Father's commandments, and 
abide in his love.' Here the son of God con- 
descends to show the union to be as complete 
between Him and his obedient people, as sub- 
sists between him and his Father. How sweet 
do 1 find that portion, I this morning selected 
for meditation, out of Romans, where Abra- 
ham's faith was counted to him for righteous- 
ness, i Being fully persuaded that what he had 
promised, he was able also to perform.' This 
was the faith acceptable to God. On those 
words of Him who spake as never man spake, 
I will now rely : i If a man love me he will keep 
my words, and my Father will love him ; and 
we will come unto him, and make our abode 
with him.' O glorious promise ! If, indeed, 
the Trinity thus descends into my heart, the 
principle of sin, root and branch, will be pluck- 
ed up. O, come quickly, thou blessed Savi- 
our: Thou, who by the angel didst proclaim 
thyself as Jesus, who should save Thy people 
from their sins ; and who, by becoming their 
King, and promulgating Thy own laws, dost 



IUR3 COOPER. 1 I '» 

demand obedience on penalty of rejection ; 
Thou who by Thy Spirit's influence, hast in- 
spired the ardent desire I {eel, to be altogether 
Thine; O descend, nnj never let me breathe 
without thy Influence ; nothing less than a con- 
stant sense of my interest in Thee will satisfy 
me. Nothing do I so ardently desire, as a fresh 
restoration, not only to Thy favour, but to Thy 
image. 

I would this day again enter into solemn co- 
venant with Thee; again surrender myself in 
body, soul, and spirit, to Thy service. Ogive 
me but strength to fulfil all Thy will; to obey 
Thee in every jot and tittle of Thy word ! To 
be brought into this blessed state. I resign my 
will, my understanding, and affections to Thee. 
Reign supreme, and ' Lord of every motion 
there ;' and if ever I swerve from that narrow 
path on which I have entered, ever again com- 
promise with the world 1 have renounced, let 
me feel the goadings of an accusing consci- 
ence, and smart beneath the terrors of Thy 
threatening ! Lord, Thou knowest 1 fully de- 
sire to be Thine ; to adorn, by a holy life and 
consistent conversation, the Gospel 1 profess. 
I feel my weakness, and know I have no 
strength independent of my Saviour! and, for 
the heavenly wisdom I need, am encouraged to 
ask of Him who giveth liberally, and upbraid- 
eth not. I want my will to be brought into 
subjection to Thine ; and having surrendered 
to the Great God, I ask Thee to mould and 
subdue it, till every opposing inclination is de- 
stroyed. O, for such a view of Thy majesty 



178 DIARY OF 

Thy purity. Thy mercy, Thy love, that I may 
be swallowed up in the contemplation and tri- 
umph, of calling Thee, my Father and my 
God. 

May 27- 

Yesterday was exceedingly blessed to my 
soul. I think 1 hardly ever found such an out- 
pouring of the Spirit under the word. I was 
truly athirst for God; and when good Mr. 
Griffith spake to the Society alone, after even- 
ing service, so pathetic, so earnest was his ad- 
dress, that I shed abundance of tears. May 
that dear people attend to the things that make 
for their peace. May the work be deepened in 
their souls ! 

Let me ask, how his address operated on my 
own heart ? T felt determined in His strength, 
who is Almighty to save, to give myself more 
unreservedly up to God than ever I did ; to 
press after all the mind that was in Christ 
Jesus 5 to be more watchful, and more addicted 
to prayer. 

I especially feel the need at this time, of 
watching continually. On a review of the past, 
I find that little things have often quenched the 
divine fire of love in my soul. The indulgence 
of a wrong temper, or light conversation, or 
any kind of trifling. As Mr. G. yesterday em- 
phatically observed, c The Holy Spirit is inji- 
niiely delicate ,•' how my experience corrobo- 
rated this ! For His indwelling in the soul, 
and unholy propensities, are quite incompatible. 

Lord, my hope is in Thee $ I rest now be- 



MRS. COOPER. .17 9 

neath the shadow of Thy wings ; screen me in 
the hour of temptation ; make ray heart Thy 
dwelling-place ; and let ray union and commu- 
nion with Thee, transform my nature, till the 
very thoughts of my heart are cleansed, and I 
he made fit to appear before the judgment-seat 
of Christ ! 

May 28: 
I have this morning found great liberty ?a 
prayer ; and especially for that deeper wor of 
sanctification I so much need, and long to ex- 
perience. My morning portion much encourages 
me to look for it 5 ' Likewise reckon ye your- 
selves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto 
God.' I only live, when I live to Thee. It is 
only in this ultimatum of my desires, that I can 
look for happiness. Yes, I am in search of 
happiness ; that which is to be derived from 
keeping within the veil, and receiving, conti- 
nually, borrowed rays from the uncreated 
Source of Light. What are the effects of the 
material sun, on creation, in this lovely sea- 
son ? Its cheering influence imparts life 
and beauty to all the vegetable world. The 
bud swells, the blossom expands; — the effect 
leads us to the cause. 

Let me apply this to the shining of the Sun 
of Righteousness. While his glorious beams 
vivify my soul, it must scatter all remaining 
darkness, and cause all holy and heaven-born 
tempers to emanate. My light must shine, and 
its rays must be reflected on others. In vain 
are all pretensions to the enjoyment of God, 



ISO DIARY OF 

unless holy fruits be the consequence. He 
Messes us that we may be blessings ; and, if the 
light of His countenance be lifted up upon us, 
the light of our good works will be manifest to 
others. 

O what a lovely thing is religion ! what a 
pure and never failing spring of happiness! 

It was a song worthy of God and of angels 
when the Deity was about to veil his glory in 
our humanity; to proclaim, ,< Peace on earth ; 
good will toioards men.' O my soul, ever be 
suspicious when thou art clouded with discon- 
tent. Be assured, that distance from God is 
the cause. He dwells with the poor and con- 
trite, to revive their hearts : all His footsteps 
are love. His name is love. i He that dwell- 
eth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. 

June 1, 1811. 
After an absence of three years, (supplied 
by a regular correspondence) 1 have again en- 
joyed the company of my dear friend, Mary 
Ann; and the friendship which has for four 
years subsisted between us will receive addi- 
tional strength from our recent interview. We 
find indeed but one spirit in the glorious pursuit 
of everlasting happiness; and, I believe, are 
equally alive to the desire to press forward, and 
to drink deeper and deeper into God. But, 
alas I in many particulars I find myself far be- 
low my dear friend ; and the few days I have 
enjoyed her society, have tended much to show 
me the defective parts of my deportment. 



MRS. COOPER. 131 

Night of the same day. 

This evening I have parted from my lovely 
friend, after having enjoyed a few hours (in a 
sweet walk) of the most affectionate and friend- 
ly converse. We parted with our hearts more 
than ever knit together, cemented by the bonds 
of true religion; and after having, on our 
knees, mutually commended each other to God, 
and blessed him for all the happiness and profit 
our friendship had afforded us, we parted with 
the full assurance of meeting each other in the 
abodes of endless bliss. O ! they were sweet 
moments, when we unbosomed our souls to aur 
Heavenly Father; and, when my dear Mary 
Ann, with all that piety and sweet simplicity 
for which she is so conspicuous, poured out her 
soul in ardent requests for our mutual happiness. 
To relieve that sadness, which separation from 
one so truly loved, has cast over my mind, I 
note down the interesting attendants of our 
adieu. Can I forbear acknowledging to that 
God, from whom I receive every thing I enjoy 
— the gratitude I feel for the delights of friend- 
ship. To Him I owe my friend. To Him we 
both owe that sweet kindred flow of affection, 
that ardent pursuit of heaven-born joys, which 
3 trust will ever characterize us. 

When I take a survey of the countless mer- 
cies which encompass me, and find myself so 
distinguished by temporal and spiritual good, I 
feel my deficiency in gratitude and love to 
Thee, Thou souFce of blessedness. 



V6 l Z DI-A-Ht OF 

stamp upon my soul all Thy Image; and 
let me daily feel more my obligations, and more 
fervent love to Thee ! I want to live nearer to 
my God, and to enjoy all the happiness, He so 
delights to bestow. The desire Thou hast im- 
planted, blessed God, wilt not Thou accept 7 
I ask not for temporal good ; but I do ask for a 
deeper acquaintance with Thyself: and for 
longing desires after immortality. Is my only 
reliance on Jesus the author and finisher of 
faith ? Do I cast myself wholly upon Him, 
convinced of my utter helplessness, and His 
all- sufficiency ? — 

This is the general frame of my heart, though 
too often I feel a want of simplicity, in casting 
myself on His merits alone. I am too apt to 
connect enjoyment with safety. When happy 
in His love, my evidences are bright ; but 
when unbelief prevails, then I do not sufficient- 
ly look to Him, who still is interceding on my 
behalf; and from whose love nothing can ever 
separate me, but the indulgence of sin. I 
want an increase of simple faith, and of mo- 
mentary dependence on the charity of Heaven. 

1 have too frequently omitted ejaculatory and 
private prayer : 1 mean mid-day engagements. 
I have too readily allowed myself in excuses for 
not rising early. O, how long is the catalogue 
of .sins of omission ! Were I to die this week, 
what have I left undone which [ should then 
wish I had performed ? Lord, give me wisdom 
to make this inquiry. 



MRS. COOPER* 183 

Does my sense of gratitude bear any pro- 
portion to the benefit I have already received, 
and am yet likely to receive from that provi- 
dential intimacy subsisting between my dearest 
riend and me ? In acknowledging God as the 
Author of my blessings, have 1 duly estimated 
his goodness in imparting them ? Indeed I have 
not ; and am justly condemned for my ingrati- 
tude. May none of these things, at the hour 
of death, rise up to afflict me I 

I am not sufficiently mindful of those innu- 
merable temporal blessings, by which I am 
distinguished. 

My cup runs over ; and in spirituals and tem- 
porals, how peculiarly am I favoured ! 

* Transported with the view, I'm lost 
In wonder, love, and praise.' 

I feel self-abased in the recollection, how cold 
my love to the souLs of others lias been. I 
have suffered opportunities for serious conver- 
sation, to pass unimproved. In this t am al- 
together condemned. Lord, forgive me, and 
awaken in me such a deep concern for their 
eternal welfare, as shall give me incessant 
and ardent importunity with Thee for their sal- 
vation. 

J am an accountable creature ; O Lord, wert 
Thou strict to mark iniquity, I could not stand ; 
for, even on a review of my sins of omission 
and commission, I am self-condemned, and 
could not hope for thy clemency, were there 



184r DIARY OF 

not an infinite atonement. Lord, I have no 
excuse to offer ; my only plea is, that Jesus 
died; but I have recorded them, and now de- 
plore them, that I may find grace to do so no 
more ; but to exercise more watchfulness, more 
self-denial, a praying spirit ; that being quick- 
ened, I may every day rise to newness of life, 
and be a faithful and obedient subject to Jesus 
my King and my Master, who is the Saviour 
and Preserver of my soul. 



To Miss 



I cannot tell you, dearest Mary Ann, how 
much I regret the transient nature of the plea- 
sure I enjoyed in your company. — Fleeting; as 
the moments were, I hope the good effects will 
be lasting. I find my affections more than ever 
united to you : and, I think, I better estimate 
the value of that friendship for which I have 
often blessed God ; and feel assured that our 
union with all the redeemed will be eternal. 

I anticipate the continuation of our correspon- 
dence with renewed pleasure ; and trust, in- 
creasing advantage will be the result; and as 
we are now decided candidates for an immortal 
crown, so I hope our warfare will be continual ; 
and that we shall have, in the course of our spi- 
ritul contest, much of that peace which passeth 
understanding. 



MRS. COOPER. lu.» 

I feel at this time the blessedness of calling 
God my Father;— and have an inward peace 
which is indescribable. O my dear Mary Ann, 
the more 1 drink of the fountain of living waters, 
the more 1 feel my thirst abate for earth-born 
joys : — The more I experience of religion, the 
more I find its adaptation to my every want. 

To excite each other to these immortal hopes 
and enjoyments shall be our aim by our letters 
and prayers ; and as the time approaches for 
our entrance on those new and important engage- 
ments which we both have in prospect, 1 trust 
our application to the all-sufficient source of 
strength and wisdom will be in proportion to 
our need ; that every new and relative duty may 
be filled up in the fear of God; that we may 
shine as lights in the world, and exemplify the 
spirit of our Lord and Master. 

Farewell, my much loved, invaluable friend. 
In all your future trials may you find support by 
looking upward, and looking forward ; it will 
be but for a little — 

Yours truly and aftectionatelv, 
MARY HANSON, 



DIARY, 



June 15, 1811. 

I think I never felt, more powerfully than I 

have the last week, the sensation of gratitude. 

A retrospect of my past life, a sense of the 

countless blessines by which 1 am at present 

a 2 



186 DIARY OF 

surrounded, and my happy prospects of the fa- 
twre ; all have constrained me to call on my 
soul, and all that is ivithinme, to bless His holy 
name. I have really been led to think, no one 
ever had such peculiar motives for gratitude ; 
and yet I never felt the want of it more. In 
heaven, this noble principle will have full and 
uninterrupted exercise. When the soul, released 
from its cumberous clay, will have every faculty 
in full and perfect action. The thought of hea- 
ven, how does it inspire me with joy ; with 
courage to fight manfully every enemy that 
would oppose my progress thither. 

Regeneration ! Yes, it is so indeed. A new 
life is imparted to the soul that lays hold of re- 
ligion. Desires, hopes, aims, taste, all under- 
go a complete change. I bless God, that in all 
these particulars I can trace a new principle to 
what formerly influenced me. God, being the 
centre of my happiness, the circle of my enjoy- 
ments is unlimited ; and those desires after God, 
which nothing short of eternity can satisfy, must 
emanate from the infinite and eternal Source of 
all mind. 

1 love divine, how sweet thou art, 
When shall I find my longing heart 
All taken up by Thee.' 



MRS. COOPER. 18Y 



• Our blessings brighten, as they take their flight. 1 

As every day brings me nearer to the time 
when I must leave this loved spot, 1 view its 
receding beauties with considerable emotion. 
The culture of my flowers, which so often en- 
gaged my attention ; their lovely hues, that al- 
ways charmed me, and led me to trace His 
hand/ whose sun exalts, whose breath perfumes, 
whose Spirit paints/ Sweet warblers of the 
grove, with whose hymns of praise my heart has 
so often been in unison, I must leave you all : 
thankful I feel for the pure delights ye bave af- 
forded me, for the honeyed store of enjoyment 
the works of God have imparted ; and for being 
enabled to practise the happy art of deriving 
tfiy reflections from the objects that surrounded 
me. The book of nature, I have with delight 
perused to a considerable degree : in a little 
time I must quit this volume ; and, by my re- 
moved residence to London, shall be called up- 
on, in a more enlarged and frequent manner, to 
study God in the volumes of providence and 
grace. I cannot then repine : nay, I will even 
believe, that that Being who so clearly marks out 
my path, has greater enjoyments and useful- 
ness in store for me, than I ever had ; and this 
I shall experience, if led to a deeper acquaint- 
ance with Him, and to a more confirmed vigour 
in the pursuit of holiness. 

I shall immediately have a sweet immortal 
plant to cultivate and rear for the Paradise of 



1B8 DIARY O*' 

God.* By ray own example, spirit, and conduct) 
by my unwearied instruction, aided by the Holy 
Spirit, I trust I shall be enabled to direct the eye 
and attention of that sweet creature, to those 
abodes of glory on which her dear, though un- 
known parent, has entered. I feel, in prospect, 
its importance ; but to Him who is all-sufficient, 
I will apply for wisdom and grace, that my pre- 
conceived Hotions of education (which I think 
have been well considered and digested) may 
be put into full effect. 

Religion must be interwoven in all, in every 
part ; so that the mind may be fully impressed 
that the object of all is, to prepare her here to 
be useful and happy, and to live in the enjoy- 
ment of God for ever. 

June 22, 1811. 

Through the last week 1 think I have suf- 
fered my mind to be too much occupied with 
domestic engagements. They would have 
been performed equally well, had my thoughts 
been less engrossed by the occupation* I feel 
I have lost strength by it ; and this is a point 
of danger to which I shall hereafter be much 
more exposed. A temptation to evil may be 
concealed amid our most lawful engagements ; 
and a constant recurrence to that Being who has 
grace and wisdom to impart to all, in all circum- 
stances ; is, indeed, a duty and a privilege. 

O that spirituality of mind were more a lia- 

•■ Mr. C.'s child by his former wife. 



^IRS. COOPER. 189 

bit than it is with me ! I feel a want of more 
constant union and communion with God. He 
gives us grace that we may use it ; we must be 
co-workers with Him. This my daily experi- 
ence shows me. I more and more feel the 
need of a simple dependence on Jesus. I do 
not sufficiently look to Him, in every dealing of 
providence and grace. But I desire it earnest- 
ly ; and to walk by faith in Him. 

July 6, 1811. 
In expectation of receiving, on the morrow, 
the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, I 
devoted some time this evening for the more 
immediate contemplation of it ; and endeavour- 
ed to enter into an examination of the state of 
my heart towards God, I was much edified 
and assisted in reading parts of Thomas a 
Kempis ; and found ray soul very much drawn 
out towards God in prayer. The intercourse 
was open, and I felt the indescribable blessed- 
ness of viewing my blessed Redeemer as having 
suffered, and now interceding on rny behalf. 
I trust, indeed, it is a foretaste of the more 
abundant satisfaction I shall find on the mor- 
row, at the blessed feast of love. O that at 
the Table of my Lord, he may 

* Answer the gracious end in me, 

For which his precious life was given, 
Redeem from ail iniquity, 

Restore, and make me meet for heaven " 



*^0 DIA11Y OF 

that the root of unbelief, which keeps me 
so long from this blessing, may there reeeive 
its death-wound. That there my Saviour's 
image may be stamped on my soul; there may 
I find His precious death effectual for the re- 
moval of all his enemies — nay, their utter de- 
struction. 

1 cannot partake of the dying memorials of 
my Redeemer's love, without finding fresh and 
lively incentives to consecrate myself anew to 
His service. O, if it be possible, I would do 
it more unreservedly thai I ver did. O, may my 
whole soul be fully engaged in this all important 
surrender; and may the last Sacrament J may 
ever receive here be the best. May I, in time to 
come, recur to it as a season when ' His banner 
over me was love;' when 1 sat under his shad- 
ow with great delight, exulting in the convic- 
tion 'that my Beloved is mine, and I am His. } 

July 7, 1811. 
Upon the whole, I have found the services 
of this day very profitable ; and before the 
morning service found great liberty and delight 
in my supplications at the throne of grace. At 
the table of the Lord 1 experienced sweet 
peace in making a fresh surrender of my soul 
to Jesus. I am, indeed, athirst for more love ; 
and long to prove all the power of His death 
in saving me from inward sin. I want de- 
liverance from a certain quickness in my dis- 
position, which makes me so alive to the 
slightest imputation from others on my past 



MRS. COOPER. 191 

or present conduct. This implies a great want 
of humility and lowliness of mind. Had I a 
deeper acquaintance with myself, I hardly think 
this disposition of mind would so often harass 
me. I want to lie lower at the footstool of my 
Saviour ; I want to feel unmoved by offences, 
and to have my heart glow with the same de- 
gree of love towards the offender. When per- 
fected in love, this will be the happy disposi- 
tion of my soul. 

O Thou, whose eyes are as a flame of fire, 
espying the secret springs and motives of my 
inmost soul, it satisfies me not that my fellow- 
creatures approve and admire my outward 
deportment : What will this approbation avail ? 
It is thine, O God, 1 need ;' and unless the 
very thoughts of my heart are cleansed, the 
motives and principles of my conduct made 
pure and upright, without this testimony [ am 
restless. When I have experienced most hap- 
piness in Thee, it has been when my thoughts 
have been all put in requisition; all subservient 
to the glorious hopes and the animating pros- 
pects beyond the grave. 

When the Comforter takes up his abode m 
my heart, then all will be subdued to my Hea- 
venly King. 

July 21, 1811. 

It is a reflection peculiarly pleasing to my 

mind, that the still small voice of God allured 

me into the paths of true religion, amidst the 

enjoyments of every thing the world afford- 



192 DIARY OF 

ed: health, friends, and prosperity. Deeply 
conscious of the incapacity of all these things, 
to impart the peace and happiness for which I 
thirsted — won by the loveliness of the Gospel, 
I was enabled, through the operations of divine 
grace, to take the Lord for my portion ; I was 
gradually brought to experience the privileges 
of my charter as a Christian ; and, whea 
pardon was spoken to my heart, when peace 
and joy took place of doubt and fear, then 
I could say, ' He is the altogether lovely/ His 
jiatlis are peace. 

To the present moment, I have never lost 
the assurance I then received, of my adoption 
into the family of heaven. It is true, clouds, 
dark clouds, have often veiled the Sun of 
Righteousness from my eyes ; but still, I could 
believe He loved me. 

While I possess this blessed hope, no change 
of outward circumstances, no privation of health 
or loss of friends, can make me essentially 
miserable. Give me but the internal support, 
the peace of God, surpassing all understand- 
ing; then pain will be sweet, and the stirig of 
adversity will be extracted. Repose in Christ 
and His promises can preserve me unmoved 
ii mid the varying calamities of this state of 
trial. God has not promised the Christian ex- 
emption from trial, but He has promised sup- 
port under it; and has declared his unwilling- 
ness to afflict. 

It is the hand of love, guided by a tender 
Father, when the probing h\ife is used. Well., 



31RS. COOPER. 195 

then, having surrendered myself to God, vir- 
tually renouncing my own will, 1 would, with- 
out anxiety, commend myself and all future 
events into His hands. 

In point of suffering, I feel that I have too 
little resignation, and my own will is much too 
predominant. Want of faith in God alone 
makes this fear so full of torment. Having 
nothing to do with the events of my future 
life, but to submit to them, sustained by the 
positive assurance that i all things shall work 
together for my good ;' I desire to yield myself 
up entirely to the Lord, and say, ' Not my will,, 
but thine be done. 5 

These reflections have arisen chiefly from 
the near contemplation of an event, to me of 
the utmost importance. Very soon I shall quit 
this abode of my infancy and youth ; scenes 
of mirth and folly, scenes too, of peace and 
holy joy. More than ordinarily privileged 
with books and leisure, for a considerable 
time, the improvement of my mind, the 
gratification of my understanding, was the 
joy and business of my life; even then, I piti- 
ed those, who, in the enjoyments of sense 
alone, suffered the season of youth to pass by. 
This state of mind succeeded a considerable 
disposition to pursuits of gaiety : and, had I 
been unbridled by education, I should have 
launched out into all the scenes of gaiety so 
bewitching to the young. Thanks be to God, 
for the restraints thus imposed ! As far as I 
could, I proved the pleasures of life 5 but the 
Omniscience of God then oppressed me. 

R 



19*4 DIARY OF 

How powerful are the effects of a religious 
education ! Under the ministry of the Rev. 
Mr. Fry, the latter end of the year 1803, i 
became broad awake to the importance of eter- 
nal things ; and for several months was earnest 
and devout. We left London — the preaching 
here not congenial $ losing sacramental oppor- 
tunities, religion lost its power ; and soon I 
retained nothing but the name and the exterior. 
Books then I devoured with avidity, and the 
midnight hour has often found me in my closet, 
poring over the page of history, and the disco- 
veries of natural philosophy. 

Was I then happy ? O no ! going further 
and further from God, I often wept when alone, 
and hardly knew why. Sometimes a sermon 
roused me ; oftener my own reflections brought 
me to my knees. My little bark was tossed, 
without a pilot. What a mercy I was not then 
permitted to set sail on the ocean of life. 1 
was safely harboured under a paternal roof : 
and though without rudder or compass, the 
mischief could not be extensive because confin- 
ed. Thus, at a distance from happiness, forget- 
ful of the great end of my being, in positive 
disobedience to my Maker, I lived, until pro- 
videntially led to hear the simple, unadorned, 
yet earnest preaching of the Westeyan Metho- 
dists. The most inferior of their preachers 
roused, and fixed my attention. I lost my cri- 
tical spirit ; no longer thirsted for the flowers 
of cratory, the elegance of diction ; but began 
to seek and find spiritual food for my hungry 



MRS. cboTEK. 195 

soul. I first heard them occasionally, then 
more frequently, and at length constantly; and 
after twelve months hearing them, became a 
member of the society, in March, 1810. Since 
that period 1 have sought, and 1 have found 
real happiness iri religion ; an effect more par- 
ticularly the result of our creed; so scriptural, 
so divine ! I owe all of happiness to them as 
instruments, to God as the source. Glory be 
to His name ! 

Happy moments I have here enjoyed ; im- 
pelled by the influence of divine love, my soul 
was on fire for usefulness ; to talk and pray 
with the poor, to aid their necessities, as far as 
I could, now became, to the utmost of my pow- 
er, my sweet employ. In self-denial was my 
joy ; love was the spring of my obedience, 
and all the commands of God were my delight. 
Blessed be God, this is still my experience. 

My union with the Society introduced me 
to many very valuable friends in London. In 
a way most clearly providential, one is about 
to remove me from this sphere of long-tried 
enjoyment. In a few weeks 1 shall bid adieu 
to you all, scenes of pain and of pleasure! My 
opportunities of usefulness here are about to 
close. O that I had been more faithful, more 
active, more earnest ! 

An important event has indeed attached 
itself with my union to this Society : through 
it I have acquired the dearest friend I ever had, 
and live in the heart and affections of one who 
appears to be fully worthy of mine. I have 



196 DIARY OF 

had daily cause to bless Gad for it ; and believe 
I shall throughout eternity. No opposition 
has checked our path ; a seeming concurrence 
of earth and heaven, the final approval of my 
will, my heart, my judgment. I have the most 
unbounded confidence in the piety, disposition, 
and understanding of my beloved friend ; and 
I have before me every prospect of all that is 
to be enjoyed in the married life." 



[In the following thoughts on domestic or- 
der and discipline, there is as much of sound 
s'ense as of genuine piety.] 

August 7 y 1811. 
<l I hope I have not lived to the present time, 
without deriving some very important lessons 
from observation and experience, particularly 
in domestic life. This is the sphere of a wo- 
man's action. It is here that full scope is 
given for the right use of her understanding, 
and for the exemplification of true religion. 
A very important trust is committed to her; 
and I am inclined to think, that on her, pri- 
marily, the happiness, as well as good order 
of a family, devolves. Her trials will chiefly 
arise from those of her own household ; it is, 
therefore, of very great importance, that a. 
good and decisive system should be first arrae« 



MRS. COOPER. 197 

.ged. Let it be fully impressed on the do- 
mestics, that such things and such rules, you 
expect will be observed. The fewer deviations, 
the more their comfort, as well as that of their 
superiors, will be preserved. But it is from 
the breach of good order, the non-performance 
of things necessary and expected to be done, 
that the trials and exercise of temper and pa- 
tience, chiefly arise ; — hence the vast impor- 
tance of self-command. A remark of Epic- 
fetus, a heathen moralist, just now occurs to 
me — ' Begin to govern your passions in the 
smallest things : is your oil spilt,' &c. ' sub- 
mit with patience, and say to yourself, at this 
rate do 1 purchase tranquillity and constancy of 
mind. Nothing good is acquired without la- 
bour. When you call your servant, imagine 
he may be out of the way, or employed in 
something you will not have him to do, but do 
not make him so great as to have it in his 
power to give you disturbance V Were these 
the suggestions of a Heathen ? and shall a 
Christian, blessed with such a perfect system 
of morals, called upon to be meek and lowly 
like his Master; promised strength from 
above, equal to every exigence : shall he put 
himself in the power of every little accident, 
and by it give his household reason to question 
the sincerity of his religion ? O forbid it, Thou 
ever present Deity ! who at all times tak- 
est cognizance of the actions of Thy crea- 
tures. 

R 2 



4 98 BXAKT Oi 

Our tempers are chiefly exercised by an op- 
position to self will ; and the more self -impor- 
tance there is in the character, the more fre- 
quent, and the greater in degree, will be the 
trial. 

It appears to me well, to settle it in the 
mind, that daily trials may, or will arise ; 
trials known to God, and which may greatly 
tend to promote a spirit of watchfulness and 
self-acquaintance ; and from a proper use of 
them, the Christian temper may become more 
established. For this end, how needful, every 
morning, to pray for special grace to keep me 
from manifesting any temper, contrary to the 
Gospel, either by hard, or unkind speeches, 
or of suffering trifles wholly to engross that 
mind which ought supremely to be fixed on 
heavenly things. The indulgence of evil 
tempers ' darken evidences and cloud com- 
forts.' Most earnestly do I entreat of God, a 
complete mastery over myself, that, as far as I 
am concerned, my house may be a Bethel ; 
that servants, and all connected with me, may- 
be constrained to admire the blessedness and 
efficacy of true religion. What importance 
will then attach to my admonitions ! How much 
greater will their respect be for a mistress who 
has reason at her command, and enforces all 
by a spirit of love. 

The Saviour never gave orders, without 
providing arms, and there is no precept in the 
blessed Gospel, for the performance of which 
God is not ready to communicate divine 



artis. cooper. lot? 



cJLrengili. Good order and punctuality I consi- 
der of vast importance, in the right regulation 
of a family. This will have its foundation in 

'y rising, a thing I hope to accomplish ; 
without it I shall be unable to devote that time, 
I hope ever to consider a duty, of doing, in 
various ways, good to my indigent fellow-crea- 
tures. 

There is something very delightful in living 
to good purpose, to have the prayers and bles- 
sings of the pious poor ; and, by kindness and 
admonition, to bring in the way of salvation 
those that know not God. 

How much is implied in living as a Chris- 
tian \ in walking with God !" 



[A letter, of which the following is an ex- 
tract, was written a short time before her mar- 
riage : — it is open and honest, and a proper 
model for all epistles on a similar subject.] 

To Mr. John Cooper. 

Jug. 7, 1811, 

" Such a letter, from such a friend, at such 
a time demands something more than mere 
verbal acknowledgment. Ere this, my dear- 
est friend, you must have discovered how alive 
my feelings are to attentions, and the contra- 
ry. Neither apathy nor indifference is at all 



200 DIARY OF 

constitutional with me. Hence the affection, 
you so kindly, so warmly express, will be duly 
prized, and in due time properly returned. 
Were the happy talent of giving extraordinary 
pleasure, in the epistolary way, mine, you 
should now receive an answer worthy of the af- 
fectionate letter before me ; which afforded me 
more pleasure than I choose to express. You 
have taught me to believe that silence is very 
expressive. In this way, then, accept and be- 
lieve me most grateful for the undeviating 
proofs of your attachment, at once pleasing, 
and to me so invaluable. 

As our acquaintance will soon assume a more 
important, and very different aspect, 1 am un- 
willing to allow the present opportunity (per- 
haps the last I shall in this way have) to pass, 
without telling you, of the very great profit I 
have already derived from our happy intercourse. 
The most entire and happy union certainly 
subsists between us on all subjects. We alike 
soar, renouncing the world in every sense, as 
any model for our domestic procedure. < The 
Bible is our one book/ and from that pure 
fountain 1 trust our streams of happiness will 
flow. 

I cannot but indclge a sweet confidence, that 
that God, who by His providence has brought 
us to regard each other, as we now do, will 
enable me to be every thing requisite to your 
happiness. I have such an entire reliance on 
that promise. 6 1 can do all things through 
Christ, that strengtheneth me;' and, if[ may 



3i£S. COOPEK. £01 

ue allowed the expression, have so much spiri- 
tual ambition, that what formerly made me 
shrink, as impossible, I can now expect without 
fear. Faith is omnipotent. By prayer only, 
can we hold converse with the Deity, and thus 
be changed from glory into glory. 

Hammersmith, Aug. 10, 1811. 

I scarcely know, my dear IVJiss W , 

which of two motives more powerfully influ- 
ences me in addressing you at this time : the 
request of my dear father, or the desire I feel 
to express the sympathy with which my bosom 
glows at the affecting picture of distress depict- 
ed in your letter to my father. 1 do, indeed, 
most affectionately feel for you ; and the only 
expression I can give of it, is to direct your 
Blind to those sources of pure and permanent 
happiness which remain secure, and must flour- 
ish amidst the changes and perpetual vicissi- 
tudes of human life. 

I cannot allow myself to think that the acci- 
dent your dear mother has met with, is of it- 
self likely to prove of any very serious conse- 
quence. Those effects, pain, &c. you mention, 
naturally follow such a concussion of the whole 
frame. I once had a similar accident. 

How far the previous weakness of your dear 
parent may operate against a speedy and en- 
tire recovery I know not; my earnest prayer 
shall be that a life so invaluable, so much de^ 
sired, may long be granted to yoo* 



20£ DIARY OF 

That many years of health, if it be the will 
of God, may yet be your portion, and that of 
your amiabie mother; and that the successive 
afflictions, with which you have been visited, 
may ultimately prove to you ' blessings in dis- 
guise. 9 O my dear Miss W — — , true religion 
is, indeed, a powerful charm, it can do what 
the philosopher's stone has done fabulously, 
turn all that it touches into gold. When that 
veil opaque, which naturally covers our hearts, 
is thrown aside we discover a Being of infinite 
benevolence, who in firet giving his Son for our 
ransom, denies us nothing else, but dips every 
seeming painful arrow into love ; and tries us 
here, that we may be fitted for the pure and 
peaceful enjoyment of himself in the world 
above. Would the dross ever be separated 
from the gold, think you, my dear friend, were 
it merely to lie exposed to the meridian sun ? 
O no. That genial warmth would leave the 
gross particles unextracted : in some cases it 
must be purified seven times in the furnace. 
Let us apply this to unclouded prosperity: and 
take a view of the state of our hearts and 
hopes, when our expectations beat high with 
present enjoyments and future prospec is. The 
world how desirabU ! That Being, who sus- 
tains our lives, whose penetrating eye is ever 
upon us, and who by mercies momentarily dis- 
pensed, lays claim to our love, is, perhaps, the 
last remembered. Though we thus forget him, 
he remembers us i earthly props are withdrawn ; 
sickness demands reflection ; the sly scythe of 



MRS. COOPER. 203 

time mows down, with unrelenting hand, the 
objects of our present love ; and when thus 
left to the solitude of our hearts ; the facina- 
tions of the world sicken and fade from our 
view. ? Tis then the Father of the fatherless 
extends his arms to receive his returning child. 
Head the sweet parable of the prodigal in 
Luke 15. Let me entreat you, my dear, to 
read and prize the Book of God — We naturally 
attach importance to a remedy that has been 
tried, and proved effectual ; especially if the 
individual who prescribes it has had personal 
proof of its efficacy. Allow me then, from pf 
experience (a present happy possession) of its 
value, to urge upon you to make religion the 
paramount desire of your heart. Life is a bit- 
ter draught without it ; religion is a purifying, 
exalting, tranquillizing principle. It makes 
the yoke of duty easy, the burden of care light. 
Ln the words of an elegant writer, ' It is the 
knowledge of Him, whom to know is wisdom, 
whom to fear is rectitude, whom to love is hap- 
piness.' A sweet epitome of its worth! This 
is such a darling theme of mine, that J am apt 
to dwell long upon it ; but I could never ex- 
press the tenth part of the happiness I have 
found in those ways, which the wise man de- 
clares to be paths of peace and pleasantness -; 
but religion to me was merely a sysiem of re- 
straints, until I obeyed the divine injunction, 
and gave God my heart : and of rourse, gave 
up the world. For inspiration declares, i If 
any man love the world, the love of the Father 



204 DIART OF 

is not in him :' and believe me, my dear, a 
true taste of heaven- born enjoyments gives us 
an effectual disrelish for the irrational and 
frothy pleasures of the world. 

When we travel round the world within, and 
!*old converse with 



1 a stranger there 



1 Of high descent, and more than mortal rank, 
' An embryo God, a spark of fire divine, 

1 Which must burn on for ages. When the Sun, 
* Fair transitory creature of a day, 
6 Has closed his golden eye.' 

There are moments when we can rejoice in 
being endued with immortality, and when we 
can feel our souls elevated with a view of that 
infinite price paid on the cross by Him, 6 who 
wept that we might smile, who bled that we 
might never die.' We must not forget the 
golden chain let down from heaven to save a 
sinking world ; but avail ourselves ot that 
mysterious mean left open for holding inter- 
course with the Father of our spirits by prayer 7 
the noblest employment of created beings on 
earth; the elevation of the soul to vards its 
Maker. O! that you, my dear friend, in this 
season of affliction, of painful suspense, may 
find, in approaching the Saviour of a lost 
world, that peace and composure, that resig- 
nation and acquiescence, which he waits to be- 
stow : for he hath said, ' Ask, and you $h*Tr 
receive; eeek^ and you shall find.' 



MR3. COOLER. 20'^ 

As T hope you wiftNiaye inclination, as well 
as time, to read a long letter, I shall not apo- 
logize for having followed the present dictates 
of my inclination, I cannot doubt that you will 
regard the motive pure and affectionate. In 
any way to alleviate the sorrows and sufferings 
of my fellow-creatures is the prime luxury of 
my life ; and to direct their attention towards 
those sources of happiness I have proved is 
only a slight return of gratitude to that Being 
who so peculiarly blesses me. What more shall 
I say to soothe you ? May the mind of your 
dear parent be supported under her affliction : 
and, when oppressed with pain and weakness 9 
may the everlasting arms be beneath her. By 
an interest in the Saviour, may she be raised 
from the ruins of the fall, and have a glorious 
hope of happiness beyond the grave. Time 
is but the infancy of our being ; but it is our 
state of probation ; and, therefore, conse- 
quences of infinite value attach to the present 
moment : and the words of our incarnate God 
are, ' Verily I say unto you, except ye be born 
again ye cannot see the kingdom of God.' 

I hope I have not wearied you, my dear 

Miss W , with the subject. I have press- 

ed it the more on your attention from the vein 
of seriousness so observable in your letter, 
and knowing it to be the only thing adapted to 
satisfy creatures endued with immortality. I 
have ventured to dwell largely on the impor- 
tance of answering the great end of our exis- 
tence. All that I have said is derived from 
that Book which we all receive as inspiration, 
s 



$06 DIARY OF 

My dear mother feels exceedingly for you in 
your trials. Present our kind remembrances 
to your dear mother 5 and believe me to re- 
main, 

Yours, very affectionately, 

MARY HANSON. 



Hammersmith, Aug. 20, 1811. 

My dear, Miss W , 

My last letter was the result of sympathy 
and condolence, and I hope the progressive 
amendment of your dear mother's health will 
justify the present being a congratulatory one* 
I rejoice with you in the prospect of her res- 
toration, and I trust God will put efficacy in 
the means used for the establishment of her 
general health. — I am induced to reply to your 
kind letter now, (for which I thank you,) from 
the probability that for a considerable time to 
come, a variety of new engagements will fully 
occupy my time ; indeed, at the present mo- 
ment it is with difficulty I can allow any scrib- 
bling time ; so that should this letter be shorter 
than yours, you will make every due allow- 
ance. It is no trilling circumstance, my dear 

Miss W , to be on the point of leaving a 

home endeared by all the pleasing varieties of 
childhood and youth ; to quit the superin- 
tendence of dear parents, &c. &c. to commence 
new relations, and new engagements ; both in 
retrospect and 'prospect there is full occupation 
for the mind. 



MRS. COOPER. £07 

With me, I most thankfully acknowledge 
both to be tinctured with a pleasing hue. I 
feel reason to rejoice that the formation of a 
connexion, so all important, was not made at 
an earlier period of my life, when my feelings 
would have been far more consulted than my 
judgment : that I was not permitted hastily to 
choose a companion, when uninfluenced by 
religion, I might have selected one destitute of 
that only bond of permanent domestic happi- 
ness: that this principle is the only security 
for its continuance, is my most deliberate judg- 
ment, after much reflection and observation. 
1 cannot express to you how endearing is a 
union of hearts in religion, where mutual hopes 
and aims are directed towards objects pure, 
lovely, and permanent ; with the animating 
expectation, that when this mortal shall put on 
immortality, 

c Together both their happy spirits fly, 
To scenes where love and bliss immortal reigns.' 

After a most happy intimacy, both episto- 
lary and personal, of twelve months, I shall, 
if God permit, surrender myself to one of the 
most amiable of men on Tuesday next ; a 
period I can regard without the least anxiety, 
because convinced of the unerring guidance of 
Providence, and of the entire suitability of the 
individual I love. — 

I should not have said so much to you on this 
subject, dear Miss W , but for the desire 



2,a3 DIARY OP 

I feel, that as you possess such pious views 5 
you would never enter on a connexion so impor- 
tant, without imploring the guidance and di- 
rection of heaven ; and making piety a.jirst 
consideration in your cJioice. 

Religion is interwoven with all my hopes 
and plans of happiness ; it is a sweet ingredi- 
ent in the bitter draught of life ; it is a peren- 
nial spring in the very centre of the heart : — 
it is all we need to make us happy here, and 
for ever. 

It gives me much pleasure to hear you speak 
so decidedly of your love and preference of 
piety, and of your habitual perusal of the word 
of God. May the Divine Spirit more and 
more enlighten our minds to comprehend its 
treasures, and estimate its worth, 

I expect to return from Wales in about three 
weeks, when I shall be happy to hear from 
you : — by that time I hope your good mother 
will be restored to a more decisive state of 
good health. Time will not allow me to en* 
large ; you will accept the intention, and be- 
lieve me to remain 

Your very affectionate, 
MARY HANSON.' 5 



MRS. COOPER. 209 

[Shortly before her marriage, her mind was 
more than ever impressed with die importance 
of the step she was about to take ; with the 
new situation to which she thought herself so 
evidently called by Divine Providence ; with 
the various relations in which she must shortly 
stand, and the duties, which, in each of those 
relations, she must conscientiously discharge. 
Her feelings, views, and reflections, on these 
subjects, are well expressed in the following 
passages. J 



MARY. 



August 8, 1811. 

* ; It is the peculiar privilege of the mind, 
properly influenced by the spirit of religion, to 
extract good from apparent evil ; and from the 
chequered circumstances of life, to view the 
overruling and kind intentions of a God of 
love, in every thing. 

A review of the past, inspires confidence in 
the future. 

When I take a survey of my past life, from 
the period reason began to operate, I can trace 
the guidance of an Almighty hand; and can 
adore that wisdom and love which have made 
even seeming hindrances, a r^al help to the 
knowledge of Himself, 
s 2 



#10 BIARY OF 

All ray domestic trials, the moral school ill 
which J have been disciplined, will, i hope, 
prove of continual benefit to me in future life. 

By being accustomed to have my stubborn 
will and inclinations crossed, my motives ques- 
tioned, and my favourite schemes thwarted, a 
considerable measure of that self will and self- 
importance, so natural to me, has received a 
powerful check ; and, as I shall shortly, with 
the permission of heaven, breathe in an atmos- 
phere, the most congenial to the sensibilities 
of my nature, I trust I shall duly prize, and 
affectionately return them. 

I feel the advantage of what I have suffer- 
ed ; I can bear opposition $ and the natural 
independence of my mind, as far as it has 
been extravagant, has been thus much sub- 
dued. 

It is probable, if I had been allowed time 
for the attainment of knowledge, in reading, 
&c. my inclination would have been less ardent 
for it : nor should J have accustomed myself 
so fully to employ every moment. I have learnt 
to enjoy solitude ; a love of books first inspir- 
ed this ; and afterwards, a recollection of the 
little stores I had laid up in my mind, tended 
exceedingly to make me enjoy my own com- 
pany. An important acquisition this. J have 
never known what ennui means, from my own 
experience. I have been taught too, to consi- 
der religion as nothing worth unless its benign 
influences be shed on domestic life, by rectify- 
ing the tempers, and ' making the crooked 



MRS. COOPER. fill 

paths of nature even. ' We must l by action^ 
show our sins forgiven.' 

The restoration of the lost Image of God, 
can mean nothing less than the implantation of 
the meek and lowly mind of Jesus. 

I find too, that it is profitable to give up 
one's own will in little things ; to avoid perti- 
nacity, and rather yield, though unconvinced, 
than rouse in the opponent those evil passions 
of pride and malevolence, so baneful in their 
consequences 

Punctuality in family arrangements, is of vast 
importance ; properly to divide time, and to be 
diligent in whatever you are about. Example 
is far more powerful than precept. Enforce 
nothing in your family, if it be a sacrifice you 
are not willing to make yourself. It is a most 
pleasing consideration, that the dear friend, 
with whom I hope to spend the residue of my 
days, on all these subjects thinks with me ; 
with this difference, with him it has long been 
practice ; with me, at present, it is little more 
than theory. 

August 17, 1811. 
How does the prospect of witnessing and 
manifesting the influential principle of religion 
in domestic life, cheer my heart, and brighten 
my prospects ? Under the roof of my dearest 
friend, I feel assured, I shall perpetually 
breathe an atmosphere congenial to my wishes. 
Peace is an invaluable possession, and most 
scrupulous shall I ever feel for its preservation, 



't\t UIARV 01* 

6 The spirit, like a peaceful dove, flies frbsa 
the haunts of noise and strife.' How would it 
pain my heart, could I believe myself capable, 
or disposed to render, by intentional or unin- 
tentional remarks, one member of my family 
a prey to one hour's grief. I trust it will be my 
continual aim, by the help of God, to make 
all happy around me, and to manifest the real 
spirit of piety in every transaction of my life. 
All I have learnt in the schools of reading 
and experience, must there be brought into 
action. Mental accomplishments avail little 
indeed, unless they regulate the heart, and 
cause the benefit to be more felt than seen. I 
must not display, but act ; love, and be be- 
loved. There must be a sentry at my heart, 
that must be kept ; for out of it proceeds all 
that tends to disquietude. I must sacrifice in 
little things : beware of pertinacity ; in short, 
beware of every thing that shall cause the 
slightest interruption of that peace, which to 
me appears so highly desirable, and which 
cannot be sufficiently prized. 

August 21, 1811. 
I feel thankful that I did not, at an earlier 
period of my life, enter into the important en- 
gagements near at hand. Such an occurrence 
would have deprived me of the many invaluable 
opportunities I had, of laying in a store of 
useful knowledge, both by reading and obser- 
vation. I trust that now, my judgment is suf- 
ficiently matured to justify the desire and hope 



1VIRS. COOPER. 21S 

I have that the new and important relations on 
-which I shall enter, will be filled with that pro- 
priety which is the result of a well-regulated 
mind, i As in the superintendence of the uni- 
verse, wisdom is seen in its effects, and as they 
proceed with beautiful regularity, not of 
chance, but by design ; so that management 
which seems the most easy, is commonly the 
consequence of the best concerted plan ; and a 
well-ccncerted plan is seldom the offspring of 
an ordinary mind. A sound economy is a sound 
understanding brought into action. The more 
a woman's judgment is rectified, the more ac- 
curate views she will take of the station she is 
born to fill ; and the more readily will she ac- 
commodate herself to it.' These remarks oi 
my favourite author, 1 appropriate to myself, 
I feel their force, and wish to act upon them. 
I shall, indeed, have read and thought in vain, 
unless I fill up the domestic circle with more 
propriety and usefulness than those who have 
either wanted time or inclination for the same 
rational pursuits. What a happiness is the as- 
surance, that the intended partner of my life 
entertains the same views, and will help me by 
his counsel and advice to fulfil my plans and 
intentions ; and above all, that God will con- 
descend to assist me by His grace, to act in all 
things as becomes the character of a Christian. 

Sunday, Aug. 25. 
I would adore and magnify Thy holy name, 
most Holy God and Heavenly Father, for the 



214 DIARY OF 

countless mercies bestowed upon me beneath 
this parental roof. Richly endowed with the 
gifts of Providence, and the better blessings of 
Thy grace, I have been long called upon by 
love and gratitude, wholly to devote myself to 
Thy service. Lord, thou knowest how sin- 
cerely and how frequently I have done this. 
It is my daily privilege to live momentarily on 
the charity of Heaven ; — the blessed depen- 
dence of true believers. Thou art all-sxiffi- 
cunt; therefore, I can now look up and expect 
the blessing I so peculiarly need at this time. 
In Thy fear, O God, shall I enter on the so- 
lemn engagements of Tuesday next. O con- 
descend there to meet us ; and at the sacred 
altar do Thou manifest Thyself to our souls. 
In the days of Thy incarnation, Thou didst 
honour the institution with Thy Divine pre- 
sence ; and, though withdrawn from our bodily 
eyes, yet Thou hast still immediate access to 
all spirits, 

Dearest Redeemer ! wilt Thou not bless 
Thy children? Wilt Thou not speak sweet 
peace to those who pant for no other joys than 
those which flow from Thee ? Thau wilt ; 
past experience encourages me to trust Thee. 
O that every good and desirable end may be 
accomplished by this providence. 

May we live, blessings approved of Heaven ; 
epistles known and read of all men ; lights of 
the world ; and to Thy name shall be all the 
lory. 



p 



MRS. COOPER. £15 

Here I close my Hammersmith Journal, 
with sentiments of gratitude to God. O may 
the new era of my life, at hand, abundantly 
further my immortal interests ; and to Farher, 
Son, and Holy Ghost, be endless praises, 
Amen, and Amen !" 



[Miss Hanson's marriage with Mr. Cooper, 
took place, according to appointment, on Au- 
gust 27, 1811, with the most favourable auspi- 
ces, and, humanly speaking, with the promise 
of every blessing, spiritual and temporal. — ■ 
That the same principle actuated her heart 
and her conduct, after marriage as before it, 
is well known to all who had the privilege of 
her acquaintance ; and particularly from the 
subsequent passages in her journal. One thing 
it may be necessary to remark, that owing to 
the general indisposition under which she la- 
boured after her marriage, and which, to some, 
is the natural consequence of such a state, she 
suffered frequent depression of spirits; and this 
caused her to speak less favourably of her reli- 
gious state than she might have done : — sh« 
was shortly to become a mother, and had to 
tread, to her, an unbeaten path. Hence she 
ifas often incapable of discerning between a 



216 DIARY Of 

state of great nervous depression, a frequent 
consequence of a state of pregnancy ; and 
spiritual declension: her inexperience some- 
times led her to form wrong conclusions. That 
she suffered much from the former, both in body 
and mind, her friends saw with deep concern : 
but they anticipated the pleasing hope, that the 
hour was continually approaching, in which 
her wonted vigour of body and energy of mind 
would be restored ; and experience fortify her 
against suffering so keenly in future, from undue 
apprehensions of her real state That she had 
suffered no loss in her soul ; that her bow con- 
tinued in unabated strength ; that her heart was 
increasingly right with God; and that in pro- 
portion to her strength, she was as diligent, yea, 
more abundant in all the means of grace, in the 
work of faith, patience of hope, and labours of 
love, after her marriage, as before it, was easily 
marked by her spiritual instructers ; and most 
obvious to the whole circle of her religious 
acquaintance. The poor and the distressed, 
for whom, with incessant diligence, she labour- 
ed till she died, can most forcibly tell the tale of 
her benevolent exertions ; for their sakes she 
often forgot herself — ever feeling, that in all 
situations of life, and in all circumstances of 
health, she was called to glorify God, by doing 
good to man. It has been judged necessary to 
make these observations, lest from the manner 
in which she expresses herself in some parts of 
the succeedingjournal, the inexperienced or un- 
thinking might be led to suppose, that her spir- 



MRS. COOPER. 217 



itual state was less prosperous after her mar- 
riage ; whereas the reverse might, in all proba- 
bility, be most safely maintained, as her last 
days, and particularly her last hours, appear so 
abundantly to demonstrate.] 



DIARY, 



Knighton, Sept. 7* 1811. 

u Since I last wrote, the most important event 
of human life has been ratified, I trust, in hea- 
ven, as well as upon earth. \Ve reached this 
place,* on Saturday evening, Aug. 31. 

I am truly happy with this dear family; re- 
ceived with such uncommon affection ; the wit- 
ness of so much piety ; so much domestic 
concord $ my mercies are without number. 

Sunday, Sept. 1. 
At nine, we went to the Methodist chapel here ; 
heard Mr. R. from 4 What shall I render unto 
the Lord, for all His benefits which He hath 
done unto me.' At eleven, went to church, 
heard Mr. Morgan Evans, from ' And Enoch 
walked with God,' &c I was much pleased 
with the simplicity of the preacher, and his 
views of the subject. At six, heard Mr. Rad- 
ford, at chapel. After the evening service. I 

* The residence of Mr C.'s father, 
T 



g$8 &IARY OF 

and my dear husband had the great privilege of 
receiving the memorials of our Redeemer's 
love ; we found it a most profitable and delight- 
ful season to our souls, and were not a little 
thankful, in having so early an opportunity 
after our union, of thus renewing our covenant 
with God. 

London, Sept. 29, 1811. 

We returned home on the 20th inst. since 
which time I have been so fully engaged that I 
have found no time to make any little record of 
the various blessings I am now continually re- 
ceiving. i Peace, harmony and love, the richest 
bounty of indulgent heaven,' are ours. Happy 
in God, and in each other, we feel our every 
breath should be praise. I wish, indeed, to 
evidence true devotion y by an unreserved conse- 
cration of all my powers and faculties to the 
service of my Master in heaven. I feel, that 
as a Christian I am not to live to myself; nor 
am I to confine all my exertions to my own fami- 
ly. They have the first claim ; but am I not 
called upon to administer to the necessi- 
tous, and in various ways impart the blessings 
so profusely bestowed upon me ? 

I have been much blessed every Sabbath 
since our marriage. How profitable is the 
Lord's Day, when private intercourse tends to 
confirm the benefit received from public instruc- 
tion ; when nothing interrupts the sacred har- 
mony which ought to pervade the- mind of the 
Christian, 



MRS. eoorER. 2l9 

Oct 
Although supremely blessed with every 
earthly enjoyment, yet have I ? from various 
exercises of mind throughout the pa^t month, 
been led to see the emptiness of every mere tem- 
poral good. For some days, comfort was 
withheld ; and I felt a painful void at the ab- 
sence of my Heavenly Father. In this state I 
was frequently led to feel the insufficiency of 
everything but God, to make me happy, ltt 
searching for the cause, I found that my private 
devotions had been more hurried than usual ; 
and that the intrusion of domestic concerns was 
allowed to encroach upon the time set apart for 
secret converse with God. As a consequence 
"of this, perhaps, [ did not so set the Lord be- 
fore me as to walk with him. Thus, the Spirit 
of God was grieved, and my soul brought into 
heaviness, through manifold temptations. 

All this I deplored to Mrs C. at my class, 
on the 2 1st. Her sensible admonitions were 
made truly profitable to me, and I returned 
home determined to seek till I found, once 
more, sensible peace with God. In a consider- 
able degree, it has been mercifully restored to 
me. [See the remarks in p. 215.J 

Nov. 9, 1811. 
How necessary is it that God should remind 
us of the dissolving nature of our earthly taber- 
nacle. When pain and languor seize the body, 
then I practically feel the insufficiency of all th% 



2£G IHARY OF 

temporal good I enjoy, to make me happy. I 
regard every memento of this sort, as mercifully 
designed to wean my affections from the crea- 
ture, and to make me feel that rest can only 
be found in heaven-— in God. 

Since my marriage, I have certainly had a 
very large increase of temporal peace and hap- 
piness ; but that I may not be exalted above 
measure, my Heavenly Father has mingled in 
this cup of sweets, a few unsavoury ingredients. 
My health has been far less uninterrupted than 
before. j&'dfli 

1 Choice befits not our condition, 
Acquiescence is the best/ 

If the Lord but visit me with the light of HTs 
countenance, and make the season of indisposi- 
tion a time for divine communications, how 
cheerfully will I embrace all He appoints, I 
am sure he does all in love; and as I cannot 
let go the confidence I have that he is my Fa- 
ther ; so I believe He will pitifully weigh what- 
ever chastisements he sees fit to exercise me 
with. I bless God I feel superior to the influ- 
ence of earthly baits to make me happ}'. 

December 7. 
Am I making progress in the divine life ? 
In answer to this inquiry, I must pause and re- 
flect. I find my desires after full sanctification, 
and feel the necessity of it, as much as ever I 



MRS COOPEIl. £2t 

did* ; and though frequently cast down b) r my 
want of life, in devotion, still I thirst after the 
living God, and desire a joyful sense of His 
presence, far more than any thing this world 
has to present, I have had to contend, for 
the last two months, with almost continual pain y 
and weakness of body. This indeed quite 
a new trial to me, (health almost uninterrupted, 
having heretofore been my portion) and has 
tended very much to depress my spirits ; and, 
from the close union betwixt body and soul, 
has perhaps caused much of the darkness I 
have mourned. Though a trying and unex- 
pected appointment, 1 feel quite sure that 
wisdom and love are conspicuous in it. Were 
it not for this alloy, 1 should have nothing to 
prove to me that this is a state of discipline. 
Blessed in every other way, my hold of God, 
as the only satisfying portion^ would be difficult 
indeed. I trust 1 have felt nothing like a dis- 
position to murmur. As every month will bring 
me nearer to that important and trying event, 
of which I Jiave always had so uncommon a 
dread, and once, such dismal forebodings, I 
trust the grace of God will be imparted more 
abundantly ; and that as I shall need, so I shall 
have imparted an increase of faith to trust 
Him who has promised to hear and answer fo. 
the day of trouble. 



£22 i>IARY OF 

January 19, 1312. 
What abundant reason have I to bless and 
magnify the name of the Lord, that He 
lias not withdrawn the refreshing influences 
of His Holy Spirit from my soul ; and al- 
though my devotedness to Him, and love to 
His name, have bore no proportion to His ben- 
efits towards me ; yet still he quickens me, and 
has of late in abundant measure, caused me 
to hunger and thirst after His righteousness. 
On the last day of the year I was much de- 
pressed in mind ; and on self-examination found 
very great cause for deep humiliation before 
Him; especially during some of the latter 
months. God had multiplied, in rich abundance, 
my means of grace, of spiritual improvement, 
and temporal enjoyment ; and yet, alas ! I 
had been in danger of ungratefully resting 
more in the gift than the Giver. Deeply con- 
vinced of my ingratitude, after spending some 
time in prayer with my beloved husband, for 
the quickening influences of God's Spirit, we 
went to the watch-night, at Queen-street chapel, 
where God so blessed the service, and in parti- 
cular, Dr. Clarke's sermon, that 1 left my bur- 
then behind me, and found liberty afresh to 
give myself up to God. From that period I 
have felt myself like a new creature. God has 
been near to me in prayer, and His Spirit has 
rendered effectual every means of grace. 

On the 4th, I went to Hammersmith; and 
again found waiting upon God, in my favourite 






. COGPLR. 

chapel there, very good and refreshing. In the 
afternoon the covenant was renewed, in which 

I found great liberty and sweetness. At the 
Lord's table my vows received a double confir- 
mation. To be altogether the Lord's: to 
walk closely with Him, and to strive to fol- 
low Him in all things, has been, and is now, 
through divine assistance, my firm purpose 
and intention. I have been, of late, deeply 
convinced of my own insufficiency ; and if f 
remain steadfast in my present purposes, 1 
am sensible it must be by the power of God, 
through Jesus Christ alone. At present 1 find 
much peace and power to cast all my care upon 
Him : and am led very earnestly to entreat God 
that He will sanctify the happy union which 
lias taken place during the past year; and 
that he will make my dear husband more abun- 
dantly instrumental to my good, and me to 
his. I must watch and pray continually. 

The mercies of God, which so richly encom- 
pass me, ' are trials, not rewards,' and I find 
myself more in danger of growing careless, 
from the profusion of His gifts, than I perhaps 
should do were they imparted with a more spa- 
ring hand. By the mercies of God then, let 
me be constrained to present my body and soul, 
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable in His 
sight. Should thes,e benefits be misimproved, 
or slighted, may I not justly fear their being 
withdrawn or diminished ? O, Thou Heavenly 
Benefactor, who hast so peculiarly distinguish- 



■ 



£24 DIARY OF 

ed me with Thy benefits, let me, by Thy grace, 
be as eminently distinguished lor my faith, 
love, humility, and zeal for Thy service ! Help 
me to live to Thee ; that to please Thee in all 
things may be my habitual aim, and my never- 
failing spring of comfort. I dare not ask at 
Thy hands either comforts or crosses ; but I 
do ask to have no will but Thine ; and to have 
the features of my dear Redeemer more and 
more impressed, in living characters, on my 
heart. O let me know what it is to have a con- 
stantly indwelling God ! 

March 11,1812. 
My religioys experience has of late been 
very variable. To sit loose to the world, is a 
difficult, though necessary duty. I feel, with- 
out it, 1 cannot make progress in divine things, 
nor enjo}' the peace which passeth understand- 
ing : and without this, all my other enjoyments 
are nugatory and void. O Lord, quicken Thou 
my soul. Rich as I am in worldly blessings, 
without Thy love 1 am poor and destitute 
indeed. My late experience has led me more 
than ever to feel my own utter insufficiency 
without the constant aid of the Spirit of 
God. God has visited me with much bodily 
pain and debility ; 1 hear his voice in it, and 
am fully persuaded it is a visit of mercy. But 
is it yet sanctified ? alas ! not as it should, 
nor as it might have been. A review 
ef this, on the last Sabbath^ caused roe broken^ 



MRS. COOPER. £23 

ness of spirit. Weary and heavy-laden I went 
to the Lord, and found myself much relieved 
and encouraged to fight against these oppo- 
sers of my spiritual life. I must not live at a 
distance from the Supreme Good. In times 
past I have partaken of the heavenly manna, 
and drank of the fountain of life freely : and 
it is still open. O that I may now exercise 
faith on my Lord and Savour, and seek for 
grace every moment, that every evil tendency 
may be quelled as it rises ! [See the remarks in 
p. 215.] 

1 am all need and helplessness ; and yet I 
desire nothing so much as the removal of what- 
ever tends to separate me from my Heavenly 
Father. My marriage too lays me under in- 
creasing obligations to devote myself to God, 
who has bestowed upon me the best earthly 
blessing. I am called to new duties, which 
require peculiar grace, properly to discharge 
them. O Lord, I will renew my dedication to 
Thy service. Baptize me afresh with Thy Ho- 
ly Spirit, and sanctify bodily affliction. O 
may it be the one desire of my soul, to gain 
more and more of the divine image, and to be 
increasing in holiness and meetness for the eter- 
nal world ! 

My present circumstances ought certainly to 
make me familiar with death and its consequen- 
ces. I know not that I shall survive the trying 
hour of child-birth ; at any rate, I shall then 
especially need the supports and comforts of 



S&6 DIARY OF 

trite religion, and the presence of God,, which 
to some, he so mercifully imparts at that awful 
period. O that I may now be found faithful 
to the grace given ! 

April 26. 

I have devoted some hours of this sacred 
day to a serious examination of the state of 
my heart before God, and have found cause 
enough to be deeply humbled and abased, on 
the review of the little improvement I have 
made of the numerous advantages I enjo} T . 

The hour of trial is with me fast approach- 
ing, in which I shall have especial need of the 
presence of my Heavenly Father, to give me 
patience to bear suffering, and to resign my- 
self wholly to His disposal. The veil which 
separates me from the eternal world, may be 
soon drawn aside. O that I may be very care- 
ful, rightly to improve the few remaining weeks 
previously to my confinement, in more frequent 
approaches to a throne of grace ; that I may 
enjoy sweet communion with the Father of 
my spirit ! May I study more attentively the 
blessed Word of God, that its promises may 
be the support of my mind— the food of my 
soul !" 

[Every page of the preceding work has been 
gradually preparing the reader for the solemn 
issue ! In a short time after she wrote the above ^ 
which is the end of her Diary, this excellent 
tvoman passed trimnphanihj though that valley 



i 



aias. COOPER. 2*27 

of the shadow of death, width she appears to 
have so long anticipated. The forebodings oi 
her own mind, tended much to unnerve her 
already deeply depressed frame ; and cause 
her to fall a readier victim to death.] 



[The following account of her last moments 
has been drawn up by Mr. Cooper.] 

" For several weeks before the confinement 
of my dear wife, she seemed to enjoy the public 
means of grace, as well as family worship, in a 
more than ordinary degree 

The day before her confinement, viz. Sunday, 
June 14. she was very unwell, and could not 
attend public worship in the morning ; but being 
considerably better in the evening, we went to 
St. Mary Woolnoth, to hear our esteemed friend* 
Mr. Pratt. She very much enjoyed this oppor- 
tunity : and on our return home, we spent 
about three quarters of an hour together, in 
mutual prayer, and singing several hymns ; we 
then called our family to prayer. Just before 
retiring to rest, she said, that although she had 
not been able to attend the House of God in 
the morning, her soul had been greatly refresh- 
ed throughout the day. 

The following morning, June 15, she was 
-sensible that the time of trial was approaching* 



228 DIARr (JT 

She was very cheerful, and several times ex* 
pressed her confidence that God would he with 
her and support her. A little after midnight, 
she was safely delivered of a fine boy : there 
was nothing attending the labour to give any 
ground of alarm : and through the whole of 
Tuesday she was as well as could be expected ; 
but in the evening dangerous symptoms appear- 
ed. The best medical advice was obtained as 
loon as possible : but from this night she 
thought she should not recover ; she said to the 
nurse, <1 shall die;' who replied, < If it should 
be the will of God, I hope you are not afraid of 
death.' She answered, 'O no V On Sunday 
morning, she altered so much for the worse, 
that scarcely any hope remained. As the strict- 
est injunctions were laid upon us by the physi- 
cians, to keep her as quiet as possible, I had 
very little conversation with her after her con- 
finement ; but she appeared to be in a comfort- 
able and resigned state. 

On Monday morning, June 22, perceiving 
there was no human probability of her recovery, 
1 thought it my duty to inquire the state of her 
mind; and after praying with her, (in every 
petition she heartily joined,) J said, i What a 
mercy it is, my love, that we have a God to 
look to in all circumstances.' i Yes,' she re- 
plied, 6 and / have not far to go ; He is very 
near to me? I said, i God is our refuge and 
strength, a very present help in time of trouble ; 
do you find him so V she answered, ' Yes, I do. ? 



MR9. COOPER. 22a 

At another time she said, 6 I am very happy, I 
have no fear.'' I asked, k Is Christ precious to 
you ? do you find Him near ? ? She said, ' Yes, 
very near to bless ; He says to me, / am Thine 
and Thou art Mine. 9 

Having left the room, in a short time she said 
to my sister Mary, Tell my dear husband to 
come here. When I went she said again, c / 
am very happy. 9 What makes you happy? 
1 My Jesus/ she replied, and then repeated, 

1 This life's a dream, an empty show, 
But that bright world to which I go, 
Hath joys substantial and sincere ; 
When shall I wake and find me there V 

{ Jesus is the rock of ages ; He is my Rock. 
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is 
within me bless His Holy Name.' When the 
nurse inquired if she recollected a Psalm she 
had been repeating, she immediately said, 
i The Lord is my Light and my Salvation ; 
whom shall I fear ; The Lord is the strength of 
my heart ; of whom shall I be afraid ?' 

When 1 returned, I found her in the same 
happy state of mind, saying, 6 Glory be to 
God in the highest : Glory be to God in the 
highest : I have experienced a glorious ele- 
vation of mind ! It is all over. 1 After- 
wards, to my sister she said, i O Mary, can 
we ever doubt such a Saviour?' and added, 
i Come unto me, all ye that fear God, and I will 
tell you what He hath done for my soul !* and 
then turning to her sister, said, c You can praise 
Ootl ; cannot you, Mary ?' 



&S0 DIARY 02? 

She was continually repeating the promises 
of God, and observed, < What a promise- 
keeping God we have ! — Be not faithless, but 
believing.' When her sister inquired, if she 
found the Lord to be her refuge and strength 
in this time of need, she answered with muck 
fervency, ' O yes !' and then putting her hands 
together, and fixing her eyes upwards, she 
said, ' Clap your hands, all ye people, come and 
let us exalt his name together.' She then began 
to pray in great earnestness, often saying? 
6 Bless the Lord, O my soul.' She afterwards 
repeated some lines from the hymns of Dr. 
Watts, among which the following were near- 
ly the last words she uttered : — 

'.My flesh shall slumber in the ground, 
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound : 
Then burst the chains with sweet surprise, 
And in my Saviour's image rise/ 

She was then seized with that convulsion 
which deprived her of her senses; and in a 
little time, her happy spirit, freed from its 
earthly tabernacle, ascended to that Saviour in 
whom she believed, and in communion with 
whom, for several years of her life, her chief 
happiness consisted. 

She fell asleep in Jesus, on Monday, June 
22, 1812, at a quarter past two in the after 
noon, in the twenty sixth year of her age/* 



urs. coofeu. 231 

FA few extracts from Mrs. Cooper's letters 
to her religious correspondents will interest the 
reader. They argue, as her other writings do, 
an enlightened and well cultivated mind, as 
well as a friendly and pious heart. Some of 
those extracts which are inscribed to Miss M- 
tvere written by Miss H. while she was un- 
der deep concern, relative to her intended 
matrimonial connexion, and some others, 
immediately after. She saw the absolute 
necessity of having a decidedly religions 
companion, if any, to accompany her in the 
path of religion. She had seen, and she had 
heard, that those young persons, who had taken 
up the cross of Christ, and afterwards married 
irreligious, or not tk-oroughly decided religious 
characters, either t turned back to perdition, 
or had a cross the most afflictive, to bear 
throughout life ' The advices and directions 
in these letters are too excellent to be slightly 
regarded : and it may be hoped have had 
their due influence on the person to whom they 
were addressed ; nor can any, to whom they 
may be applicable, consult them without profit.] 

Hammer sm ith , Ju ly 2 2 , 1 8 1 1 . 
My dear Miss M. 
Various and pressing engagements have 
prevented me from earlier assuring you of the 
pleasure your kind letter (which I regard as 
the commencement of our correspondence) 
afforded me. As I gave vour reasons for de- 
lay their full weight, 1 am inclined to transpose 



232 DIARY or 

the words of Pope, and say, e The mercy I te 
you have shown, that mercy show to me, I 
have certainly found epistolary communications 
one of the sweets of celibacy ; and, although 
on the verge of quitting it, with its many ad- 
vantages, do not despair of finding, amid the 
more multiplied engagements of domestic life, 
time to remember, in this way, you, my dear 
friend, and some others, who have long had a 
claim on my friendship. Common maxims, 
and those which guide people, ordinarily, are 
no standard for me ; and the too frequent result 
of marriage, that of contracting the heart, 
chilling the affections, and confining one's ex- 
ertions, merely to the precincts of a fireside 
and a family, are unenviable consequences : 
and into those I hope to be in no danger of 
falling. To avoid it, I am fully aware of the 
necessity of redeeming time, and acting on a 
digested plan, that hours and days may not 
succeed each other, without bearing on their 
wings, at least, some essays to do good. Our 
correspondence, my dear friend, I am disposed 
to hope, will be somewhat productive of this 
disposition ; and as we are both alive to the 
importance and luxury of exercising our talents 
and influence in a good cause, so I trust we 
shall have freedom and sincerity enough to 
suggest to each other, whatever may prove 
of personal or relative advantage. Should I 
insensibly slide mtomatrimonial supineness, and 
myself become a prey to the inactivity I so often 



MRS. COOPER. 199 

see, and so much deplore in others, you, dear 
Miss M. must rouse me, and tell me of the en- 
joyment of revolving round a larger orbit of 
usefulness. When it first was known among 
my friends, that I was turning my thoughts 
towards Methodism, one of them used jocosely 
to tell me, my religion was ' up and be doing.' 
A part of it certainly is. It is this spirit which 
benefits the world ; and our Lord and Master, 
in his errand of benevolence — in his seeking 
cpntinual occasions of doing good, has left us 
an example, which, in our degree, it is our 
duty and interest to follow. Thus did the Star 
of Jacob pierce through the dark clouds of 
poverty and reproach ; and by the lustre of his 
deeds, proclaim the divinity of His nature. 
He shall be our pattern and our guide. Wc 
will lose sight of the world, and seek after a 
growing resemblance to the bright and morn- 
ing star, that we may be lucid gems in His 
crown, for ever. I cannot but reflect, with a 
degree of astonishment, on the early and strict 
discipline you exercised over your heart. You 
early manifested a taste for that true wisdom^ 
of which the poet speaks, 

' Man, know thyself, all wisdom centres here.' 

You were then under the bondage of self-deni- 
til. Now you know the omnipotent power of 
divine love, which can make even self-denial a 
\ov ! No obedience will be lasting, buV that 
u 2 



234 . DIARY OF 

which Hows from this heaven-born principle ; it 
is this alone, which makes the service of God 
perfect freedom. It is this, which reconciles 
the paradoxes in our religion, — ' As sorrowful, 
yet always rejoicing — as poor, yet making ma- 
ny rich — as having nothing, yet possessing all 
things.' I sensibly feel, my dear Miss M, your 
candour, in giving me such an insight into } r our 
heart. If the portrait were faithful, it was not 
a flattering one ; but that new nature we are 
called to put on — that light of life it is our pri- 
vilege to walk in, will I trust, effect an entire 
revolution of our habits, principles, and pursuits ; 
and our memorandum-book, to the glory of 
divine grace, will record a happy change, from 
the service of the world, to the service of God. 
You have sweetly described the change, my dear 
friend; I rejoice with you. O guard the sacred 
tire, and do not let it evapoa*ateand ^extinguish, 
by distracting its source. Nothing can lead 
to God which has not proceeded from Him. 
We are naturally averse from Him, and every 
thing within us opposes the operation of those 
fruits of the Spirit, which it has lately been your 
happiness to testify. We are transitory crea- 
tures of a day. God addresses us as such, and 
warns us against anxious care for the morrow. 
Therefore, it is your privilege and mine, to live 
a life of momentary dependence on the charity 
of Heaven; that we may continually be fed 
with the bread and water of life. For want of 
this ^ how much I have lost ! Such a proneness 



MRS. COPPER. 



ro look forward, without faith ; a sad species of 
unbelief; ' Jesus Christ is the same, vest/ relay, 
to day, and for ever.' His hands of love and 
mercy are ever spread out in our behalf. 



To Miss M. 

Aug. 17, 1811. 
My dear friend, 

Circumstances have hitherto proved rather 
unfavourable to the cultivation^ both of our 
epistolary and personal intercourse. The bal- 
ance is certainly against mt ; and if } r our can- 
dour towards a friend, keeps at all pace with it 
towards yourse/f you will, in consideration of 
pressing and important engagements, indem- 
nify me from any intentional or avoidable neg- 
lect. 

It is no trifling thing, dear Miss M. to be on 
the verge of quitting scenes, endeared by all 
the varieties of youthful experience — the resi- 
dence of one's whole life. Parents, the instru- 
ments of those comforts ; and friends knit ta 
my heart by the bonds of Christian love. Those 
things afford no inconsiderable exercise for the 
mind. The change, though important, is 
pleasing, when viewed as the result of that 
guidance, promised to those who acknowledge 
God in their ways. There is a prospective 
happiness of being united in the Lord, quite in- 
conceivable to those who have never experien- 
ced it. This remark I make for you y my dear 



£S6 &IART OF 

friend, that you may guard your heart anil 
affections, till that heavenly Parent, who has so 
narrowly and tenderly watched over you fof 
good, shall clearly point out the path for your 
future life. Confidence in Him is both a duty 
and a privilege. 

By way of apology only, have I devoted one 
page to a subject, not at all interesting to you, 
judging you by myself in former times. The 
inference ] draw, as it regards us, in this ;— 
that in the course of another month, the result 
of all my present bustle will afford me frequent 
opportunities of enjoying your society, and of 
interchanging that oneness of object, we have 
in view ; to me, a very pleasing anticipation ; 
and, in conjunction with yourself, our very dear 

friends at , to whom I present iny love. 

I beg one proof of its reciprocity, viz. a remem- 
brance of me at a throne of grace, on the 
27th inst. Will you, my dear friend, give this 
kind expression also, of your friendship. 

And now I will endeavour to answer your 
kind and acceptable letter. The dearest 
friends, I have, have a property in their dispo- 
sition, I rather think, not natural tome, reserve; 
it having proved no obstruction, in those cases, 
to love and friendship, 1 was not at all disposed 
unfavourably to regard the same disposition 
which I certainly noticed in you, in the first 
part of our first interview ; though I must as- 
sure you I consider the specimens I have had of 
you, a vqry favourable omm of what is yet in 



TlltlS. COOLER. 237 

store fdr us, should your stay in London be pro- 
tracted. 

It affords me unspeakable pleasure, my dear 
friend, and J hope, in some degree, I am influ- 
enced by the same desire which you feel, oi' 
living to good purpose; and using talents and 
influence fo the glory of that God and that 
cause, we have both warmly and decidedly 
espoused. The good is incalculable, which one 
individual, truly devoted to God, may effect. 
Let us both pray for an increase of that divine 
love, which shall make us run, and delight 
ourselves in the commandments of God. I can 
testify, from happy experience, how much the 
influence of this blessed principle makes the 
path of duty easy ; and those requisitions of 
self-denial, &c so severe and contrary to nature, 
are easy and delightful through grace. I have 
sometimes been enabled to appropriate to my- 
self a line of Madame Guioivs, i In self-denial 
is her joy.' It is not always thus with me ; 
but to the glory of divine grace, I must ac- 
knowledge I have found, and do find it in a 
happy measure. I once heard Mr. B. say, 
' Never rest satisfied with your religion, till it 
makes you happy ;' — and nothing short of it 
does satisfy me ; nothing troubles me so much, 
as the hiding of God's countenance : — His 
smile is heaven — His approbation, bliss ; or in 
the words of an elegant writer, ' whom to know, 
is wisdom — whom to fear, is rectitude — whom 
to love, is happiness.' What a mercy it is, 



^38 J) I ART ©P 

dear Miss M that from such pure sources, se 
early in life, we are called to draw out our feli- 
city ; and, in surrendering our hearts to God, 
find that ample recompense, always connected 
with the sacrifice. My chief deficiency is a 
want of poverty of spirit, and my constitutional 
hindrance is levity of spirit ; not that I decry 
cheerfulness ; it is the element, and properly 
the privilege, of the Christian only. It is a 
something not so tranquil, that I speak of; a 
something which would not be allowed, were a 
proper sense of the omniscience of God duly 
estimated and received. I wish to show you 
something of thence of my soul, that we may 
mutually suggest hints for improvement, and 
recommend remedies we have proved effectual. 

London, March 7, 1812. 
My dear friend, 
I have been a little surprised, in referring to 
the date of your last kind favour, to find so- 
much time elapsed since the receipt of it. The 
truth is, that my engagements are so much 
more numerous and pressing now than formerly 
that I must hope for the candour and allowan- 
ces of my correspondents, if I fail in being as 
punctual as in the days of my celibacy. My 
domestic avocations were then comparatively 
nothing, and I am disposed to congratulate 
myself that my taste, in those days, led me to 
the improvement of my mental powers ; for, the 
food I then derived, I must now live upon by 



MRS. CO0TER, 

rumination. And yet, my dear Miss M. so 
powerful are the charms of a happy union, 
that notwithstanding all I have conceded, 1 would 
not exchange the present tor the past. Few, 
indeed are so blessed in this state; as I possess 
a partner, in whose upright conduct and conver- 
sation I constantly behold an object worthy of 
my closest imitation. One equally suitable, my 
dear friend, I trust Providence has in store for 
you. In a connexion so important, I trust you 
will not hastily conclude ; and, believe me, there 
must be a great deal to compensate for the new 
cares and pains, commonly resulting from mar* 
riage; and there must be in the partner of your 
choice, a living, a decided piety ; to counteract 
the tendency this new relation has, to wed the 
heart more closely to the world. This is, indeed, 
my point of danger ; and I find daily need of pe- 
culiar grace, to have my chief treasure in heaven. 
You know, my dear friend, the interest I feel in 
your welfare. It is more than probable, much 
time will not elapse, ere a decision of this kind 
will take place ; and much as you are disposed 
to glory in your present unembarrassed situation, 
the chain of love may be thrown around your 
neck also, and lead you captive. Hitherto you 
have been the prey of much and accumulated 
anxiety, and you have had alone to struggle 
with it. Now a suitable marriage may make 
you happier, and more at ease than you have 
ever been, and give you the dearest friend you 
frrve ever had. But let it be your own choke; 



240 fclART OF 

and let your judgment guide your affections* 
You alone can be judge; and above all, seek 
direction at His hands, who has promised to 
direct the paths of those that love and fear 
Him ; and who hath said, 'No good shall be 
with-holden from them that walk uprightly.' 

Forgive me, my dear friend, if 1 have been 
intrusive or tedious on this subject. Regard 
all I have said, as flowing from a real love to 
you, and regard for your welware. It is a 
momentous business : and, as I have tried the 
two states, I feel convinced that nothing short 
of an entire union of mind and pursuits, with 
the jjurest affection, can counterbalance the new 
pains and anxieties, commonly resulting from 
the married state. With regard to my health, 
I still continue very poorly. This is a new, 
and unlooked-for trial to me. I view it all in 
wisdom and love; but for it I should have no 
memento that this is a state of discipline, so 
free am I from every other trial. It sometimes 
leads me to look forward to that happy state, 
where the spirit will be no longer encumbered 
by its clay tenement, but c where it will 
soar without bound, without consuming 
glow. 5 God is teaching me another lesson, 
the inadequacy of every earthly good, to satisfy 
my soul, without the continual enjoyment of 
his love and presence. I hope you, my dear 
friend, are going forward steadily in the ways 
of God, and that you again enjoy the simplicity 
and earnestness of a country society. When 



MRS. COOPER. 241 

you write, I hope to hear you have become a 
visiter of the Benevolent Society you mention. 
Many important lessons may be learnt in the 
chambers of poverty and affliction : we are 
called to it by the example of our Divine 
Master, who left us the poor as His special 
legacy; and who has stamped even poverty 
with dignity, by making it his own garb in the 
days of his incarnation. 

Preparations for the important event of next 
June, occupy a good deal of my time and atten- 
tion ; as yet, I do not think anxiously about 
it : I hope, indeed, that its approximation will 
more and more stir me up to intimate commu- 
nion with God, and to familiarity with that 
solemn event, which is the gate we must all 
pass through to heaven. My dear friend, if I 
have an interest in your affections, let me also 
have in your prayers, that I may be fully 
prepared for life or death. 



To Miss W. 

June 5, 1812. 

My dear friend, 
I cannot express to you, the concern and 
surprise your long silence has occasioned me ; 
particularly, since I had an intimation from your 
brother, that you had left home in consequence 
of illness. I have been led to apprehend the 
worst that <could befall you, as I thought the 
subject of my last letter (if you ever received it) 
w 



£4ii &1AHY OF 

would have led you, at any rate, if you ha& 
but an interval of health, or ease, to write me 
a few lines, before my confinement, of which I 
am now in daily expectation. I am now, and 
have been for some time past, very unwell, and 
incapable of exertion, so that I cease to wish 
the trying hour to be protracted. Respecting 
you, I cannot feel easy, until I hear of the state 
of your health, and the cause of its decline* 
I feel inexpressibly for you, dear Mary Ann, 
on that subject, which, 1 fear, is still involved in 
the same painful obscurity, as to its issue, which 
has so long marked it. Pray relieve my mind 
by letting me know all respecting you ; and let 
me not have, in addition to the thoughtfulness, 
connected with my present situation, to labour 
under imaginary forebodings relative to a 
friend, who will ever be most dear to me. 

Since my marriage, God has given me every 
thing I could desire, excepting health ; in wis- 
dom, no doubt, he has deprived me of this ; 
though I have reason to fear this dispensation 
has not been so sanctified to ray soul's good 
as He designed it. A time of more extreme 
trial awaits me ; and my only confidence is in 
that God who is all-sufficient to deliver me. I 
can repose in Him, and feel peculiar consola- 
tion in reflecting on that chain of providence 
which led to our union. I feel I am still in 
the hands of the same Parent who superintends 
all our concerns. Allow me to beg of you my 
dear .friend, to remember nieirvyour prayers- 



MRS. COOPER. ^> 

I, and my beloved 0. frequently remem- 
ber you, when bowed together at a Throne 
of Grace. 

[The above letter, intended for Miss W. was 
left unfinished.! 



[The last letter she wrote was to her bro 
ther, at Cambridge, from which the following 
is extracted. It is dated only ten days before 
her confinement] 

To Mr. Wm. Hanson, Cambridge. 

June 5, 1812. 

I cannot but think it will surprise you a lit- 
tle, my dear brother, to receive a letter, 
from one, who but for the multifarious engage- 
ments of a married life, would have been one 
of the first to have classed herself among your 
correspondents. ****** 2 \ s the 
jnost responsible, the most dignified of offices 
awaits you, I trust that influence, which alone 
can render it a delightful and easy employ, 
will be more and more experienced by you — 
that moved. ' in veiity, by the Holy Gtwsf; you 
may be made eventually the instrument of 
turning many of your fellow-mortals to the path 
of life and happiness, which our hoJy religion 
so fully §ets forth. I am aware, from the 



£44 



DIARY OP 



nature of your present studies, of the difficult 
ties you have to combat with, in cultivating that 
personal piety, which is so delightful and so 
necessary for the future discharge of duties of 
a pastoral nature. God will, I trust, abundant- 
ly sanctify to your good, those energies of mind 
with which He has endued you, and that they 
will be directed towards the glorious object of 
a minister of the Gospel. 



I am almost a complete prisoner, very much 
indisposed in body, and in the daily expectation 
of an event, for which my mind can only derive 
support and confidence in making God my 
refuge. 

The efficacy of religion is but little known 
in hours of ease, and days of prosperity — its 
benign and cheering influence is felt on the bed 
of pain and languishing, when all human help 
is impotent, and when death may receive his 
commission to unveil the eternal world. 

Life has to me now, many more fascinations 
than it ever had before. God has bestowed 
upon me the best of earthly blessings, and I 
have known nothing like a trial since my mar- 
riage, but bodily indisposition; a merciful 
infusion in that cup of bliss, which otherwise 
might have intoxicated me. 

I need not tell you, my dearest William, the 
pleasure a letter from you will afford me. 



mbs. cooper. 245 

May the blessing of God attend you, my 
ever clear brother 5 may your present studies 
conduce to your best interests, and in days to 
come, to the good of many ! May you be kept 
from every snare, and be guided into all truth, 
and know more and more of the indwelling of 
that peace which passeth understanding ! My 
dear husband unites, with me in kind love to you. 
Believe me ever to remain 

Your most affectionate sister, 

MARY COOPER. 



THE ENJ> 



J. &, J. Harper, printers, 138 Fulton-St 



LIST OF BOOKS, 



The following BOOKS are published under the pat> 
ronage and for the use of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, in the United States of America, and to be 
had of J. Soule and T. Mason, No. 41 John-street, 
New-York ; Superintendents of the Book Business 
for the said Methodist Church, and of the Minister? 
and Preachers in their several Circuits. 

Coke's Commentary on the New-Testament, 

2 vols. Quarto, . #20 

Wesley's Notes on do. 2 vols, in 1, . . 3 

Quarto Bibles, 7 

Wesley's Sermons, 3 vols, a new edition, 7 
Woods Dictionary of the Bible, 2 vols. . 6 
Fletcher's Checks, 6 vals. . .5 

Harmer's Observations, 4 vols, octavo, by 

Adam Clarke, LL. D. ... 10 

Rambach's Meditations, 2 vols, octavo, . 4 
Life of the Rev. Thomas Coke, L. L. D. with an 

engraving, 2 

do. do. calf, gilt, . . 3 

Benson's Sermons, 1 vol. octavo, , , 2 
Wesley on Original sin, . . . . 1 124 
Benson's Life of Flecther, . . . . % 1 

Portraiture of Methodism, 1 

Experience of several eminent Methodist Preach- 
ers, a new and enlarged edition, . . 1 
The Experience and Ministerial Labours of 

several eminent Methodist Preachers, . 1 
The Saints Everlasting Rest, ... 1 
Wesley's Testament, i 



IJST OF BOOKS, 

Cents. 

Methodist Hymns, two books bound together, 87£ 

Hervey's Meditations, .... 87J 

Experience and Letters of Hester Ann Rogers, 75 

Laws Serious Call to a Holy Lite, . 75 

Doctrinal Tracts, 75 

Fletcher's Appeal to Matter of Fact and Com- 
mon Sense, . . . 75 
Introduction to Christianity, . . 75 
All: ine's Alarm and Baxter's Call, lettered, 62J 
Family Adviser and Primitive Physic, do. 62J 
Sellon's Arguments on General Redemption, 50 
Memoirs of Mrs. Mary Cooper, . . 62 
Causes, Evils, and Cures of heart and Church 

Divisions, 50 

Methodist Discipline, 37 

Extract from John Nelson's Journal, . . 37i 
Refutation of the doctrine of unconditional per- 
severance, by Thomas Olivers, . . 37J 
Confessions of James Lackington, . , 25 
Thomas a Kempis, or Christian's Pattern, . 43} 
Mrs. Rowes Devout Exercises', abridged, , 3l£ 
A Sermon en Salvatio* by Faith, by Adam 

Clarke, LL. D 12 

A Scriptural Catechism, . 6i 

Instructions for Children, .... 6i 

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for the benefit of the Methodist Episcopal Church ih 
the United States, and to be applied to religious pur- 
poses, it is recommended to the Ministers and Members 
of the church to promote the sale of said Books, and 
not to purchase any Books which we publish, of any- 
other person than the aforesaid J. Souxe, and T. Ma- 
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